Andy Robertson and Rachel Corsie unite behind Ukraine as captains send message ahead of World Cup qualifying dates

Scotland captains Andy Robertson and Rachel Corsie have expressed their solidarity with Ukraine's footballers ahead of their scheduled matches in the coming weeks.

Captains Andy Robertson and Rachel Corsie adorn the exterior of Hampden. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

Scotland are due to host Ukraine at Hampden in a World Cup play-off semi-final on March 24 and have also been paired together in the latest UEFA Nations League campaign group later this year. The two nations were also scheduled to meet in a women's World Cup qualifier in the eastern European country on April 8.

In a joint statement, Robertson and Corsie declared that their respective teams "stand in solidarity with our fellow participants from Ukraine's football community".

They added: "A match, no matter how significant on the pitch, feels unimportant right now, but we intend to express our friendship and unity when we face each other next month.

Andy Robertson during Scotland National team's training session at La Finca Resort, on November 11, 2021, in La Finca, Spain. (Photo by Jose Breton / SNS Group)

"In the meantime we pray for your wellbeing and the safety of all those people needlessly suffering. Until we meet, we send our love."

SFA president Rod Petrie earlier wrote to his counterpart at the Ukrainian Association of Football to send a "message of support, friendship and unity".

The Hampden statement added: "We remain in dialogue with UEFA and FIFA regarding our men's FIFA World Cup Play-off and women's World Cup qualifier and have offered to support our Ukrainian colleagues' preparations as best we can in these unimaginably difficult circumstances."

A Scotland amateur team are due to face Russia in a tournament this summer and the SFA followed its English, Welsh and Northern Irish counterparts plus other European nations in declaring its position of boycotting games against Russia.

Corsie played against Ukraine at Hampen in November. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

The decision came ahead of a recommendation from the International Olympic Committee to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes, officials and teams from international competitions wherever possible, which looks set to lead to Russia being excluded from the World Cup.

The SFA statement affirmed: "Should the current circumstances continue, we will not sanction the nomination of a team to participate in our scheduled UEFA Regions Cup fixture against Russia, due to be played in August.

"This will remain our position should any other fixtures arise at any level of international football."

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