The Russian Football Union (RFU) and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) will create a joint working group to facilitate the return of Russian teams to international tournaments, RFU President Alexander Dyukov said Friday.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th December, 2022) The Russian Football Union (RFU) and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) will create a joint working group to facilitate the return of Russian teams to international tournaments, RFU President Alexander Dyukov said Friday.
Moscow has been considering joining the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) after the International Football Federation (FIFA) and UEFA suspended Russian national football teams and clubs from participating in international tournaments due to Russia's special operation in Ukraine. FIFA promised to allow Russia to participate in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers if Moscow joins the AFC.
"Today we concluded the executive committee meeting. We continued to discuss the transition to Asia (Asian Football Confederation). We decided to ask UEFA to create a working group. We invited three UEFA members (to join the group), we also want to invite representatives of the IOC (International Olympic Committee) and FIFA. We have not yet spoken to them about participation in the working group. I think FIFA will be interested, it is also important for them to find a solution. The goal is to analyze and work out a road map for the speedy return of Russian teams to international tournaments," Dyukov said.
The working group will be formed immediately after the New Year's holidays, and the work will be completed by April 1, Dyukov noted. He also said that an agreement with UEFA to create the group has been reached, and he would send an official letter to the agency today.
"It is important for us to take part in the 2026 World Cup, so the working group will work on the option that will allow this to happen. It is not correct to say that UEFA has become more cooperative. We have made concrete approaches on how to resolve the issue. Of course, UEFA does not want to lose us, otherwise they would have expelled us long ago," Dyukov added.
The Russian national team was excluded from the playoffs for the World Cup in Qatar. In mid-July, Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected appeals by the Russian football union and four clubs to reverse the UEFA and FIFA bans on Russian national teams. In September, UEFA decided not to allow the Russian national team to participate in the draw for the qualifiers of the 2024 European Championship.
