The president of the Lithuanian Football Federation, Edgaras Stankevicius, reported that UEFA issued a financial penalty against the federation over chants aimed at Vladimir Putin. His remarks were attributed to the national federation and published by a Lithuanian broadcaster. The federation’s chief explained that this mark marks the first time the body was fined specifically for the chant in question, noting that previous sanctions had targeted banners, symbols, or other on-field expressions but not this exact statement. He added that the moment had been heard in a prior game, yet a Spanish delegate present at a later meeting did not document it, and it was a Kazakh delegate involved in a meeting with Serbia who raised the issue and brought it to the forefront of discussion.
Lithuanian supporters were heard delivering anti-Putin slogans during the match against Serbia, an incident that drew attention to fan behavior and the broader expressions seen in the stands during international fixtures.
Lithuania stood near the bottom of its group after seven matches in the European Championship qualifying campaign, diminishing its chance to advance. The tournament was scheduled to take place in Germany in the summer of 2024, bringing together teams from across Europe for the continent’s premier national-team competition.
In spring 2022, the international governing bodies, FIFA and UEFA, decided to suspend Russia from participating in all sanctioned events, affecting both the national team and Russian clubs across all competitions under their purview.
Earlier, Russian football authorities welcomed the backing from FIFA, sharing their approval of the move and the supportive stance shown by FIFA at the time, as the international sports community aligned on sanctions and participation rules for Russia.