deadly strikes in the Kharkiv region; NATO calls on allies to “do more” for Ukraine

Ten months after the invasion of Ukraine, which resulted in the banishment of Russian sport, the Russian Football Federation (RFS) did not carry out its threats to leave UEFA, and announced on Friday that she wanted to form a working group with the European body.

According to the chairman of the RFS, Alexander Dioukov, at a press conference in Moscow, this group must find solutions “to settle as soon as possible the question of a return of Russian clubs and national teams to official international tournaments”.

“We are studying the possibility of returning to UEFA competitions”he continued, adding that three representatives from UEFA and others from FIFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) would be invited to take part in this working group. “For us, it is important to take part in the qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup”Mr. Dioukov also said.

Sports sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus “must stay in place” in 2023, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach insisted on Friday in a message of New Year. “We support athletes and members of the Ukrainian Olympic community all over the world with all our solidarity”he continued.

This announcement comes as the RFS had multiplied, in recent weeks, the signals as to a possible departure from UEFA to join the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), which would have significant financial consequences for Russian clubs. However, on Friday, Alexander Dioukov did not completely rule out this possibility, if negotiations with UEFA failed. “We can redirect to Asia, but we need a decision from FIFA to participate in the 2026 World Cup, we will find an agreement faster via this working group”he explained.

For him, this working group with UEFA must be “a sign that the bridges are not cut and that we can try to find solutions to restore [leurs] relationships ». “Of course, politics has an influence on football. But we will see how much », argued Mr Dioukov. The Russian Federation had been excluded on February 28, four days after the start of the Kremlin offensive in Ukraine, from all competitions organized by UEFA.

At the beginning of May, UEFA announced that“no Russian club” would not participate in the European Cups (Champions League, Europa League and Europa League Conference) for the current 2022-2023 season. In mid-September, the RFS also confirmed that it could not participate in the Euro 2024 qualifiers, scheduled from March.