MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th April, 2023) The Russian national football team will not participate in the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) championship in June, Russian Football Union's General Secretary Maxim Mitrofanov said on Tuesday.
"We have sent an official message to the CAFA and thanked them. We have certain organizational difficulties. We had to withdraw our participation. There are issues of high physical strain on our players. We counted with at least four games. It will be hot, and the break between June 11 and 15 is too short for the players of some of the teams. The participation of our referees? If our colleagues ask us to assist with officiating the games, I believe it will be an important experience for our referees. We will review such invitation," Mitrofanov said.
The Tajikistan Football Federation told Sputnik in March that Russia had confirmed its participation in the CAFA championship, but the Russian Football Federation said that the possibility and conditions for the team's participation are still under discussion.�
The CAFA was established in 2014 and includes the football federations of Afghanistan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Its ever-first championship is scheduled to take place in Bishkek and Tashkent on June 9-21.�
In February 2022, FIFA and UEFA suspended Russian clubs and national teams from all competitions due to Russia's special military operation in Ukraine.
