Russian football teams remain banned from participating in European and international competitions. The Russian side has missed the deadline for appeals against the suspensions by world governing body FIFA and European Football Union UEFA, according to a decision by the Federal Court in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The complaint should have been filed by January 13, but did not arrive in Lausanne until February 10, it said. The federal court published the February 20 decision on its website on Thursday.
FIFA and UEFA approved the suspension last year shortly after the Russian attack on Ukraine. The International Court of Arbitration for Sport Cas in Lausanne confirmed the decisions on November 25 and dismissed the complaints from Russia. For the Russian side, the Federal Supreme Court was the final instance. The suspensions are now final due to the late filing of the complaint and the court’s decision to refuse to hear the case.
Black keeps in touch with Russia
Meanwhile, coach Sandro Schwarz of the Bundesliga club Hertha BSC said on Thursday that even a year after the start of the war in Ukraine he has not broken off contact with his former club Dynamo Moscow. “I’m on the phone with a lot of people, they’re texting,” said Schwarz, “it moves everyone and it’s not far from us.” Schwarz coached Dynamo Moscow from 2020 to 2022 and stayed in the Russian capital for 88 days after the start of the war.
While he was criticized in many places for staying, there was no alternative for Schwarz to stay there for the sake of the people. “Of course there were fears. Overall. With the Ukrainian players, with young players who are still conscripted. what happens to me now what about family There are fears and worries because you couldn’t assess: what’s actually happening there now?” Schwarz had told the German Press Agency shortly after his arrival in Berlin about the days surrounding the Russian attack on Ukraine on February 24.
Even now, the 44-year-old is still “totally” affected. “There are emotional moments. Unfortunately, nothing has changed in this situation.” At the same time, Schwarz finds himself between hope and reality: “All normal-thinking people can only hope that it will end quickly. But it is not foreseeable.”
