London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Nov 07, 2025

Priti Patel cancels Belarus’ basketball visas over country’s support of Putin

Priti Patel cancels Belarus’ basketball visas over country’s support of Putin

Priti Patel said the UK ‘will not welcome’ teams from countries ‘complicit’ in the invasion of Ukraine on a day where Norway’s skiing federation called for Russia to be blocked from world cup races

Priti Patel has cancelled visas issued to Belarus’ men’s basketball team over their country’s support for Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, on a day where the sporting world showed its disdain for Russia’s aggression in the region.

The Belarus team had been due to play Britain in Newcastle in a world cup qualifier on Monday. The match was postponed on Friday by the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) after an “evaluation of the current security situation”. The Netherlands’ scheduled match against Russia, scheduled to take place on Saturday, was also pulled.

On Saturday, the Norwegian Ski Federation said it does not want Russian athletes competing at upcoming world cup races and world championships in Norway. Meanwhile the football associations of Poland and Sweden united in statements saying they refuse to play Russia in playoffs for the World Cup 2022.

Patel, the UK’s home secretary, tweeted: “I have cancelled the visas of the Belarusian Men’s Basketball Team who were due to play in Newcastle.

“The UK will not welcome the national sports teams of those countries who are complicit in Putin’s unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine.”

Britain and Belarus had been due to play two matches – one in Minsk on Friday and the second at the Vertu Motors Arena, home to Newcastle Eagles, on Monday. Fiba first announced on Thursday that the Minsk game would be postponed before confirming the following day that the Newcastle game would also not go ahead. Following this latter decision it is understood that the Belarus team then cancelled their plans to travel to the UK.

Toni Minichiello, the interim chair of the British Basketball Federation (BBF), said in a statement: “We thank Fiba for all their help and for understanding our concerns about travelling to Minsk.

“I would also wish to take the opportunity thank the BBF Board, GB Team Staff and Players for coming together and presenting a unified position. The safety of our players and staff are and will always be our primary focus.”


Elsewhere, Norway’s skiiing federation said: “Russia’s violations of international law and attacks on the Ukrainian people demand international condemnation and sanctions. Sport is not detached from this and cannot remain passive to what is happening now.

“The Norwegian Ski Federation’s message to Russia and Russian athletes is crystal clear – we do not want your participation.”

Norway is scheduled to host events in Alpine skiing, cross country skiing, ski jumping and Nordic combined over the next few weeks. The federation added that it would follow up with the global body, the International Ski Federation (FIS).

On Friday FIS cancelled all remaining competitions of the 2021-22 season that were to be held in Russia but said Russian athletes can continue to participate in its competitions, in line with International Olympic Committee recommendations for international sports federations.

While recommending that Russia’s athletes be allowed to participate in events, the IOC urged federations to either move or cancel competitions currently planned in Russia or Belarus.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
On the Road to the Oscars? Meghan Markle to Star in a New Film
A Vote Worth a Trillion Dollars: Elon Musk’s Defining Day
AI Researchers Claim Human-Level General Intelligence Is Already Here
President Donald Trump Challenges Nigeria with Military Options Over Alleged Christian Killings
Nancy Pelosi Finally Announces She Will Not Seek Re-Election, Signalling End of Long Congressional Career
UK Pre-Budget Blues and Rate-Cut Concerns Pile Pressure on Pound
ITV Warns of Nine-Per-Cent Drop in Q4 Advertising Revenue Amid Budget Uncertainty
National Grid Posts Slightly Stronger-Than-Expected Half-Year Profit as Regulatory Investments Drive Growth
UK Business Lobby Urges Reeves to Break Tax Pledges and Build Fiscal Headroom
UK to Launch Consultation on Stablecoin Regulation on November 10
UK Savers Rush to Withdraw Pension Cash Ahead of Budget Amid Tax-Change Fears
Massive Spoilers Emerge from MAFS UK 2025: Couple Swaps, Dating App Leaks and Reunion Bombshells
Kurdish-led Crime Network Operates UK Mini-Marts to Exploit Migrants and Sell Illicit Goods
UK Income Tax Hike Could Trigger £1 Billion Cut to Scotland’s Budget, Warns Finance Secretary
Tommy Robinson Acquitted of Terror-related Charge After Phone PIN Dispute
Boris Johnson Condemns Western Support for Hamas at Jewish Community Conference
HII Welcomes UK’s Westley Group to Strengthen AUKUS Submarine Supply Chain
Tragedy in Serbia: Coach Mladen Žižović Collapses During Match and Dies at 44
Diplo Says He Dated Katy Perry — and Justin Trudeau
Dick Cheney, Former U.S. Vice President, Dies at 84
Trump Calls Title Removal of Andrew ‘Tragic Situation’ Amid Royal Fallout
UK Bonds Rally as Chancellor Reeves Briefs Markets Ahead of November Budget
UK Report Backs Generational Smoking Ban Ahead of Tobacco & Vapes Bill Review
UK’s Domino’s Pizza Group Reports Modest Like-for-Like Sales Growth in Q3
UK Supplies Additional Storm Shadow Missiles to Ukraine as Trump Alleges Russian Underground Nuclear Tests
High-Profile Broodmare Puca Sells for Five Million Dollars at Fasig-Tipton ‘Night of the Stars’
Wilt Chamberlain’s One-of-a-Kind ‘Searcher 1’ Supercar Heads to Auction
Erling Haaland’s Remarkable Run: 13 Premier League Goals in 10 Matches and Eyes on History
UK Labour Peer Warns of Emerging ‘Constituency for Hating Jews’ in Britain
UK Home Secretary Admits Loss of Border Control, Warns Public Trust at Risk
President Trump Expresses Sympathy for UK Royal Family After Title Stripping of Prince Andrew
Former Prince Andrew to Lose His Last Military Title as King Charles Moves to End His Public Role
King Charles Relocates Andrew to Sandringham Estate and Strips Titles Amid Epstein Fallout
Two Arrested After Mass Stabbing on UK Train Leaves Ten Hospitalised
Glamour UK Says ‘Stay Mad Jo x’ After Really Big Rowling Backlash
Former Prince Prince Andrew Faces Possible U.S. Congressional Appearance Over Jeffrey Epstein Inquiry
UK Faces £20 Billion Productivity Shortfall as Brexit’s Impact Deepens
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Eyes New Council-Tax Bands for High-Value Homes
UK Braces for Major Storm with Snow, Heavy Rain and Winds as High as 769 Miles Wide
U.S. Secures Key Southeast Asia Agreements to Reshape Rare Earth Supply Chains
US and China Agree One-Year Trade Truce After Trump-Xi Talks
BYD Profit Falls 33 % as Chinese EV Maker Doubles Down on Overseas Markets
US Philanthropists Shift Hundreds of Millions to UK to Evade Regulatory Uncertainty in Trump Era
Israeli Energy Minister Delays $35 Billion Gas Export Agreement with Egypt
King Charles Strips Prince Andrew of Titles and Royal Residence
Trump–Putin Budapest Summit Cancelled After Moscow Memo Raises Conditions for Ukraine Talks
Amazon Shares Soar 11% as Cloud Business Hits Fastest Growth Since 2022
Credit Markets Flooded with More Than $200 Billion of AI-Linked Debt Issuance
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Says China Made 'a Real Mistake' by Threatening Rare-Earth Exports
Report Claims Nearly Two Billion Dollars in Foreign Charity Funds Flowed into U.S. Advocacy Groups
×