The U.K. Premier League soccer tournament has suspended its agreement with its Russian broadcast partner and will donate £1 million ($1.3 million) to support the people of Ukraine.
“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,” the league said in a statement on Tuesday.
“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 match,” the statement added.
“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,” the statement concluded.
More to come.