Kirill Gotovtsev: Gloucester to remove Russian flag from player’s shirt
Gloucester have apologized for the use of the Russian flag on Kirill Gotovtsev’s club jersey and said the image will no longer appear in the future.
Since 2015, the club has included the flag on the Premier League shirts of all players representing their national teams.
But a statement from Gloucester on Wednesday said that following “internal discussions and Kirill’s blessing” the Russian flag would no longer appear on 37-year-old Gotovtsev’s shirt, while other countries would continue to be recognized.
Russia has been banned from international and cross-border competition by World Rugby since 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine.
“We remain fully supportive of World Rugby’s 2022 sanctions over the conflict in Ukraine,” Club statement, external explain.
“Kirill cooperated fully with World Rugby and DCMS (Department for Culture, Media and Sport) requests at the time and will continue to do so.
“In accordance with sanctions, Kirill’s flag will not appear on his shirt. We understand the meaning of the flag in question and apologize for any offense this may have caused.”