January 3 – Russian football bosses have decided not to quit UEFA, shelving a plan to try instead to join the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to enable its clubs and national teams to resume playing.
Russian teams are banned by UEFA and FIFA from international competition but the Russian Football Union was understood to believe a move to the AFC would present a more welcoming environment if, or when, the ban ends.
The AFC has accepted new members from other confederations in the past, notably when Australia quit Oceania in 2006.
However, the RFU’s Executive Committee agreed at a meeting last week not to seek AFC membership according to RFU chief Alexander Dyukov.
“Was any member of the Executive Committee in favour of Asia? Nobody expressed this position,” Dyukov was quoted as saying by Russia’s TASS news agency.
Instead they decided to create a working group to interact with FIFA, UEFA and other confederations.
Russia was banned from the World Cup in Qatar and has also been excluded from the qualifying draw for Euro 2024.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) recently turned down Russia’s appeals to overturn the bans.
“We are considering the option of returning to UEFA competitions as soon as possible,” said Dyukov. “It is important for us to take part in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.”
It seems unlikely that can happen unless Russia pulls back from Ukraine.
Yevgeny Giner, the president of CSKA Moscow, warned in a recent interview with the daily Sport-Express that moving into Asian football would prove counter-productive.
“We need to take into account the enormous difference in the financial component” and the “status of potential international matches” as part of the Asian leagues, he said.
“We will literally have to start from zero. Therefore, perhaps we should wait for a return to big European football.”
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