No to war message to be displayed in La Liga matches

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Bengaluru, February 26: The top tier of Spanish football -- La Liga -- and its affiliated clubs have re-asserted their commitment for peace by deciding to send a message during all the fixtures of Matchday 26 in La Liga Santander and Matchday 29 in La Liga SmartBank on both the Spanish and international broadcasts, which can be seen in more than 185 countries.

This comes in the wake of Russia's military attack over Ukraine, which has resulted in a global crisis, with sports being no exception.

As per a statement issued by La Liga, a banner with the statement NO A LA GUERRA (No to war) will be displayed in all La Liga matches.

This initiative will be complimented by information that will appear on U Televisiva (advertising boards) during La Liga matches and by a message that will be released through La Liga's social media accounts.

"With this campaign, La Liga wants to express its rejection of any armed conflict and its support for peace, as well as its support for dialogue and harmony," a La Liga statement said.

Russia's military attack in Ukraine has had its implications in sports, especially in footnbll with the UEFA Champions League final, scheduled to be held in St Petersburg moved to Paris.

The decision came after European football's governing body -- UEFA -- condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and called an emergency meeting of the executive committee to discuss the situation.

It is presumed that UEFA agreed to relocate the final on February 24, the first day of Russia's military assault on neighbouring Ukraine.

An announcement was delayed while a suitable new venue was selected. The match will now be held at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis at the original time of 20:00 GMT (21:00 CET) on May 28.

Meanwhile, former world champion boxer and one of Ukraine's most celebrated sportspersons -- Wladimir Klitschko -- is confident that his country will remain strong amid the military escalation with Russia that has caused global turmoil.

The 45-year-old great, a former Olympic gold-medallist and someone who held the world heavyweight championship twice in the professional circuit, took to Twitter to send out a message of solidarity for his compatriots as Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the launch of a military operation in eastern Ukraine.

"Be sure: Ukraine is strong! It has a strong capital #Kyiv, strong cities, villages and a strong solid and united people who value above all their independence, sovereignty and peace in Europe. Its WILL to exist is infinite. Glory to Ukraine!" tweeted the great, who was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2021.

Even more scathing in his assessment of the conflict was chess great Garry Kasparov, who is now a politician and a vocal critic of the the Russian President Putin.

"Every dollar in trade with Russia since he invaded Ukraine in 2014, every Euro of corrupt deals with his cronies, helped Putin build the war machine he is using to slaughter civilians in Europe today," Kasparov tweeted after the launch of the military operation by Russia.

The 58-year-old Kasparov left Russia in 2014 citing fear of persecution and currently lives in Croatia.