RT.com
21 Nov 2023, 22:07 GMT+10
Sanctioned Russian football is looking East and weighing its options as next year's season approaches
The Russian Football Union (RFU) is to make a decision on a possible switch from the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) by the end of December, according to the union's president, Aleksandr Dyukov.
The RFU is considering the move since they have been unable to participate in major tournaments since February 2022, after FIFA and UEFA indefinitely suspended Russian teams, citing Moscow's military operation in Ukraine. Speaking to the press on Monday, Dyukov commented that "talks with UEFA continue. We have the option, which we will discuss in the first half of December at the executive committee, where we'll consider a possible transfer to Asia."
Dyukov first aired the idea of moving to the Asian Football Confederation in November 2022, in response to the political sanctions on Russia's teams.
The next month, the RFU created a task group to work with the other associations on getting back into official tournaments, and the switch to the East was put on hold.
"Officially, we can change confederations on our own," Dyukov said to media in September, but went on to say that the unofficial go-ahead from UEFA, in practice, was required.
"Is there a point to switching, if we won't be allowed to the World Cup qualifying matches? This is what demands consideration. To take part in the World Cup qualifiers, we need confirmation and agreement from FIFA, and we don't have that yet."
In October 2023, UEFA briefly considered lifting the suspension on Russian under-17 teams, arguing that "children should not be punished for actions whose responsibility lies exclusively with adults," but soon afterward U-turned on the decision. A number of football federations - including those of England, Latvia, and Lithuania, stated at the time that their teams will not play against Russians even if the ban was lifted.
The Russian national team, meanwhile, has played eight friendly matches this year, including against Iran and Iraq, twice against Egypt, and once each versus Qatar, Cameroon, Kenya and most recently Cuba on Monday, winning 8-0.
Get a daily dose of Europe Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Europe Sun.
More InformationIn a report by The New York Times, it has been revealed that Israeli officials had obtained a detailed battle ...
NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar: Kyar Win, spokesperson for the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, which launched a surprise offensive last month against ...
While Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has been frantically shuttling around the Middle East trying to stop the Israeli coflict ...
LESBOS, Greece: Greek authorities said a cargo ship sank off the island of Lesbos over the weekend during a storm, ...
COLUMBUS, Ohio: To stop the spread of bird flu, more than 1.3 million chickens will be killed on Ohio's Union ...
In a devastating turn of events, Israel's war on Gaza, sparked by Hamas's unprecedented attacks on October 7, has resulted ...
LONDON - Health experts and tobacco campaigners have strongly criticized New Zealand's decision to repeal laws that aimed to ban ...
NEW YORK, New York - The Dow Jones index was the standout on U.S. financial markets on Thursday with a ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: Despite the ongoing economic uncertainty, major discounts during the Thanksgiving weekend enticed U.S. shoppers, who spent some US$38 ...
BANGKOK, Thailand: This week, Thailand's Deputy Finance Minister Krisada Chinavicharana said after a weaker-than-expected third quarter, the country will downgrade ...
BEIJING, China: The country's commerce ministry said that during a meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Ho ...
NEW YORK, New York - Retreating bond yields and a higher-then-expected GDP reading for the third quarter boosted U.S. stocks ...