Withdrawal of Russia from UEFA: “as much to play in the Asian Confederation as not to play at all”

Suspended from official competitions since February 28 and the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the Russian national team, as well as Russian clubs, want to find their way back to the stadiums. “We consider this unfair and politically motivated. In this regard, we have worked in two directions”, commented Alexander Dioukov in a press conference after the meeting of the Executive Committee.

“We appealed to the CAS (court of arbitration for sport), but it was not retained. However, we still have not received the full text and the reasons for the decision. Without this, it is not possible to decide on new measures to protect our interests in court”, can we read on the website of the federation. “The second line of work is a dialogue with UEFA to find opportunities and ways to lift the suspension. UEFA justified its decision by the impossibility of ensuring security during the matches of the Russian national team and the impossibility of maintaining the integrity of the competition due to the refusal of a number of teams to play against us At the moment, UEFA sees no reason to reconsider its decision and awaits a stabilization of the political situation”.

But for Russia time is running out. If she wants to be able to qualify for the 2026 World Cup by switching to the AFC, a decision must be made before December 31, “otherwise the window will be closed and we will be on hiatus for four years.”

Alexander Dioukov also explained that his Executive Committee “did not see the end of the tunnel”, even if he agrees to recognize the level of European football, so “might as well play in the Asian Confederation, than not play at all The AFC is ready to consider our request, according to Dioukov who adds that it is not a guarantee to be accepted even if the probability is high and we have information that FIFA does not mind that the RFU changes Confederation and moves to Asia”.