The Premier League have confirmed they will suspend their agreement with Russian broadcaster Okko Sport with immediate effect.
The league released a statement on Tuesday in which they strongly condemned the Russian invasion on Ukraine and called for peace. In the statement, they also pledged to donate £1m to support the people of Ukraine.
Last week, chief executive Richard Masters told the Financial Times that the agreement, signed in 2019, was “under review”.
The news comes after FIFA and UEFA banned all Russian football teams from competing in their tournaments while UEFA also ended their lucrative sponsorship with Gazprom.
A decision has also been taken to move the Champions League final from Saint Petersburg to Paris.
“The Premier League and its clubs today unanimously agreed to suspend our agreement with Russian broadcast partner Rambler (Okko Sport) with immediate effect and to donate £1 million to support the people of Ukraine,” read a statement.
“The League strongly condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We call for peace and our thoughts are with all those impacted.
“The £1 million donation will be made to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) to deliver humanitarian aid directly to those in need.
“This action follows a weekend of matches displaying League-wide support for Ukraine. All club captains wore special armbands and fans joined players, managers, match officials and club staff in a moment of reflection and solidarity before kick-off at each game. Big screens displayed ‘Football Stands Together’ against the backdrop of the blue and yellow colours of the Ukrainian flag. These words were also shown on LED perimeter boards during matches.
“This message of solidarity was visible to fans around the world across Premier League digital channels and via match broadcasts. This is in addition to the numerous ways in which clubs continue to display their support.”
Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston said: “This is absolutely the right thing to do and we fully support the Premier League's decision to stop broadcasting matches in Russia in response to Putin's barbaric, senseless invasion of Ukraine.
“Russia cannot be allowed to legitimise its illegal war through sport and culture, and we must work together to ensure Putin remains a pariah on the international stage.”
