December 30 – Russian football bosses are reported to be considering quitting UEFA and applying to join the Asian Football Confederation to enable its clubs and national teams to resume playing.
The Russian Football Union (RFU) has apparently set a deadline of Saturday to make a decision which they believe might allow them to compete in tournaments in Asia.
All Russian clubs and national teams were banned from competitive football by FIFA and UEFA in February following the invasion of Ukraine. But despite the global suspension, the RFU is understood to believe a move to the AFC would present a more welcoming environment if, or when, the ban ends.
Aleksander Dyukov, the RFU president, is quoted as saying that making the choice now was necessary because a failure to do so would mean waiting until the 2027 cycle of international football.
“Delaying the decision by a few days means that the national teams could lose four years,” he said. “We don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. Also, it must be said, unfortunately, we are also growing apart from Europe ideologically,”
Roman Teryushkov, deputy of the State Duma, told sports.ru: “In the current geopolitical realities, the presence of the RFU in UEFA contradicts the national interests of Russia.
“It is impossible to build sports friendship with countries unfriendly to us and with constant poking from the collective West.”
A meeting was apparently held in Moscow on December 23 to discuss the possibility of a switch to Asia, which covers 75% of Russia’s land mass.
Russia is one of 55 member associations of UEFA and was expected to host the 2022 Champions League final in St Petersburg until the game was switched to Paris as a result of the invasion of Ukraine.
No nations have previously resigned from UEFA, but there is a precedent for the AFC in terms of accepting countries from outside the confederation.
Australia now participate as an Asian nation after joining in 2006 following their resignation from the Oceania Football Confederation, though that had nothing whatsoever to do with any globally condemned military conflict. Conversely Israel, an Asian nation by geography, plays in UEFA for political reasons.
Russia is hoping that Asian countries sympathetic to its cause would support its application, notably China, Iran and North Korea.
Last week, Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, told Russian state media that preparations were being made for friendly matches in 2023.
However any application from Russia to join the AFC would need to be approved initially by the AFC’s executive committee before going to a vote of the full membership. The AFC executive committee next meets on January 20, while the AFC’s next Congress is at the end of the month.
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