By Andrew Warshaw
May 3 – Any hopes Russia may have had of returning to the global footballing fold have been dashed by a swathe of strict new sanctions imposed by UEFA in the wake of the continued invasion of Ukraine.
The country has been kicked out of the Women’s European Championship finals in July while its clubs have been banned from all UEFA club competitions next season including the Champions League.
Russia’s interest in hosting men’s Euros in 2028 or 2032 has also been deemed ineligible. This means Britain and Ireland’s joint bid to host Euro 2028 is rivalled only by Turkey, which also declared an interest in hosting the 2032 tournament.
In February, Russian clubs and national teams were suspended by FIFA and UEFA “until further notice” but the latest punishments take this one step further.
Portugal – who lost to Russia in the play-offs – will replace them at this summer’s Women’s Euros being staged in England.
Russia’s women’s national team will also no longer be allowed to compete in qualifying for the 2023 World Cup, while the men’s team is barred from the 2022-23 Nations League.
The ban imposed on Russian clubs is especially severe and means there will be no Russian teams in the Champions League, Europa League or Europa Conference League during the entire 2022-23 campaign.
Russian Premier League winner Zenit St. Petersburg’s place in the next Champions League group stage will go instead to Scottish champions elect Celtic.
The raft of sanctions represent both a sporting and economic blow to Russian football just four years after the country staged the World Cup. UEFA has already moved this season’s Champions League final from St. Petersburg to Paris.
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