The 2021-22 Europa League continues its normal course despite the Ukraine conflict, all the first leg games took place, with the only exception being the game between the german team RB Leipzig and the russian side Spartak Moscow that was scheduled for March 10 could not be played due to Europe’s sanctions on the Russian teams.
Spartak Moscow had a good performance in the 2010-11 Europa League reaching the quarterfinals, that was the best season for them in the tournament. The rest of the games played in 2000s-2010s Spartak Moscow did not reached beyond the round of 32.
The team was close to achieving another record within the Europa League, but the sanctions for the war are affecting the Russian teams despite the fact that the players are not in favor of the war and they are not soldiers on the battlefield.
Why was the 2021-2022 Europa League Second leg game canceled?
The second leg game between RB Leipzig and Spartk Moscow scheduled for March 17, 2022 was canceled due to UEFA sanctions against the Russian teams. Said sanctions prohibit the Russian soccer teams from playing in any of the European tournaments such as the Europa League or Champions League.
In addition to UEFA, the Russian teams will not be able to play in the FIFA Club World Cup or any other tournament organized by FIFA such as the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2022. It is a heavy blow for the Russian teams and the international players who will have to settle for play in the local russian league.
Does RB Leipzig have to play another team in the round of 16?
No, they get a walkover or direct bye to the next round of the 2021-22 UEFA Europa League, the quarterfinals. The draw for the quarterfinals will be held on March 18 and the first and second legs of that phase of the tournament are expected to be played between April 7 and 14, 2022.