(Reuters) – Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte called for peace in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and said the prospect of war in modern times seemed “incredible”.
Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine by land, air and sea last week following a declaration of war by President Vladimir Putin.
“It’s a very sad situation,” Conte told a news conference on Monday.
“We are in 2022 and to talk about the possibility (of) being at war is incredible. It’s incredible and at the same time it’s stupid, only to think about this. We need peace…, not people dying.
“The war for sure is not an answer (to) anything. The whole world has to be compact, show (solidarity) against the stupidity of people.”
Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a “special operation” that it says is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its southern neighbour’s military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists.
On Monday, FIFA and UEFA suspended Russia’s national teams and clubs from international football until further notice.
The move makes it likely that Russia will be excluded from this year’s World Cup and the women’s Euro 2020 tournament.
(Reporting by Anita Kobylinska in Gdansk, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
