Russia Refuse To Leave UEFA Despite Ban

Russian Football Union (RFU) has voted to remain in the European Football Association (UEFA) even though the football body has placed them on an indefinite ban since last year.

Recall that after the Russian government led by Vladimir Putin ordered the country’s military to invade Ukraine, most of the Western world came up with different degrees of sanctions against Russia.

UEFA was not left out of the numerous international organizations that sanctioned Russia over the invasion. All Russian national teams and clubs were banned from participating in UEFA competitions in line with the FIFA ban.

The ban has denied Russia the opportunity to participate in the 2022 FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championships, and the clubs from participating in the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League.

Recently, UEFA attempted to relax its ban on Russia by allowing the country’s under-17 teams (male and female) to participate in European youth competitions. However, the proposal met strong resistance from football stakeholders, and UEFA had to back out of the plan.

Hence, the RFU contemplated leaving UEFA for the Asian Football Confederation. The Russian FA met earlier today, December 20, to vote on the decision but decided to massively vote against it.

RFU president Alexander Dyukov said: “We unanimously voted against.”

RFU committee member Mikhail Gershkovich added: “We have decided to continue contacts with Uefa, especially as there is progress.

“Let’s see how the situation develops next year.”