Why are Russia still playing international football despite ban?
Russia's men's, women's and youth teams remain barred from taking part in matches organised by football's European and world governing bodies.Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the nation's men's side has been unable to compete at the 2022 and 2026 Fifa World Cups and Uefa's Euro 2024.Despite most of Russia's territory sitting in the continent of Asia, the vast majority of the country's clubs and infrastructure sit to the west of the Ural mountains, in Europe. Russia, under the name of the Soviet Union, was a founder member of European governing body Uefa.During its suspension from Uefa, Russia cannot play in the Euros, Nations League or any qualifiers.The last official match played by Russia's men under the banner of mainstream competition was a 1-0 defeat by Croatia in a 2022 World Cup qualifying fixture in November 2021.
What kind of matches are Russia still playing?
Russia haven't completely stopped playing international football. In fact, their men's team drew 1-1 with Nigeria in a friendly at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on Friday.Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, the men's team have played 16 matches against non-Western nations without needing the permission of Fifa or Uefa.Fifteen of those matches have been friendlies. They include one-sided victories against the likes of Brunei (11-0), Cuba (8-0), Zambia (5-0) and Syria (4-0).Other fixtures have been played against former Soviet nations including Belarus, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as geopolitical allies like Iran and Serbia.Russia also participated in a three-team 2024 tournament organised by the Vietnamese Football Federation in Hanoi, alongside Thailand. After beating Vietnam 3-0 in the opening fixture, Russia's match against Thailand was cancelled because of a typhoon, and was never rescheduled.
What about Russia's women's team?
Russia's women have exclusively played friendlies since the ban was first imposed.In that time they have faced nations who have more friendly relations with Russia than most in the West - including China, Iran, and North Korea - and teams from Latin America.They have also recently begun facing Russian club sides - their past two fixtures being a 1-0 win over Spartak Moscow and a 3-0 defeat by CSKA Moscow.
What could happen to Russia in the future?
It has been reported Russia could withdraw from Uefa in favour of joining the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).In 2023, Russian Football Union (RFU) president Alexander Dyukov attended the AFC congress in Bahrain, in order to discuss the possibility of Russia switching from European to Asian football.But later that year the RFU voted not to make the change, instead opting to set up a working group to devise a plan to return to European competition.Asia's competitions, like the international Asian Cup and AFC Champions League, are nowhere near as financially lucrative or prestigious as their European counterparts.If the war in Ukraine were to end, though, Russia could be brought back into the mainstream international football fold immediately."When the war stops, they will be readmitted," Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin said earlier this year. "The first decision was done together with Fifa. I think we will [overturn] it together when we do it."Fifa president Gianni Infantino, who was awarded the Russian Order of Friendship medal by president Vladimir Putin after Russia hosted the 2018 World Cup, has expressed a desire to see the team back on the global stage."As talks are going on for peace in Ukraine, I hope that we can soon move to the next page, bring back, as well, Russia in the football landscape because this would mean that everything is solved," Infantino said."That's what we have to cheer for, that's what we have to pray for - because that is what football is about. It's not about dividing, it's about uniting girls, uniting boys, uniting people from wherever they are."A return to Fifa and Uefa competition would also mean Russian domestic clubs being allowed back into future editions of the Champions League, Europa League, Conference League, and potentially the revamped Club World Cup.
What is Ask Me Anything?
This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team. Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your questions. This questions was submitted by Mark in Stoke-on-Trent. Thanks, Mark!We want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you do.The team explores everything you need to know and calls upon a network of contacts including our experts and pundits.We answer your questions from the heart of the BBC Sport newsroom, and go behind the scenes at some of the world's biggest sporting events.Our coverage spans the BBC Sport website, app, social media and YouTube accounts, plus BBC TV and radio.
More questions answered...
How is the Ballon d'Or winner decided?Why are 1bn euro release clauses becoming more common?When are the 2025-26 Premier League fixtures released?Who has qualified for the 2025-26 Champions League?Why are footballers allowed to chew gum?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
30 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Kylian Mbappe responds to claims he left PSG for Real Madrid 'too soon' - after his former club won the Champions League without him
France captain Kylian Mbappe faced questions about Paris Saint-Germain 's Champions League triumph when he addressed the media on the eve of Sunday's UEFA Nations League third-place playoff against Germany. Mbappe left PSG to join Real Madrid last summer, ending his seven-year stay in Paris. He netted 256 goals in 308 games for PSG, becoming the club's all-time leading scorer. He also helped deliver 15 trophies to the Parc des Princes, but was unable to achieve European success. Part of the motivation behind his move to Madrid was the belief it would improve his chances of winning the Champions League — with Real having conquered Europe a record 15 times. However, Mbappe's first shot at Euro glory with Los Blancos ended in a 5-1 quarter-final defeat by Arsenal. PSG then beat Arsenal in the semis, before thrashing Inter Milan in last weekend's final in Munich. During Saturday's press conference, it was put to Mbappe that perhaps he had made a mistake by leaving PSG a little too early. But the 26-year-old hit back: 'I didn't leave too soon; my story with PSG was over. 'I am not bitter; I had reached the end of the road. I tried everything, and it was destiny that meant it had to happen without me. 'PSG winning the Champions League without me doesn't affect me. I was happy. I think they deserved it.' Mbappe was on the scoresheet on Thursday night when France fell to a thrilling 5-4 defeat by Spain in their Nations League semi-final. Spain will now face Portugal in Sunday's final after Cristiano Ronaldo and Co overcame hosts Germany 2-1 on Wednesday. The final will take place at Munich's Allianz Arena — which also staged PSG's win over Inter last weekend — after the game for third place is played in Stuttgart.
The Independent
42 minutes ago
- The Independent
Sabalenka wins first set against Gauff in French Open women's final
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka won the first set 7-6 (5) against No. 2 Coco Gauff in the French Open women's final on Saturday. The match has been full of tension and momentum swings so far, amplified by the windy conditions. Sabalenka came out strong on Court Philippe-Chatrier, finding her stride early and pushing Gauff onto the back foot with deep groundstrokes and assertive net play. Sabalenka quickly built a 4-1 lead but a string of errors and double-faults allowed Gauff to get back into the match. Sabalenka managed to break again for a 5-4 lead yet her game continued to fluctuate between unforced errors and flashes of brilliance. Gauff stayed patient and composed, breaking back to level the score once more. They traded breaks again and the set, which lasted around 80 minutes, was decided by a tiebreaker. Sabalenka trailed 3-0 but recovered from the poor start to close out the set at the net. Despite a chance of rain later Saturday afternoon, organizers opted to keep the retractable roof open. Both women are aiming to win the title for the first time. Gauff lost the 2022 French Open final at age 18 but the American beat Sabalenka in the 2023 U.S. Open final, Gauff's only major so far. The 27-year-old Sabalenka, who is from Belarus, has won three majors but is appearing in her first French Open final. It is the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 final in Paris since 2013, when Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova, and just the second in the last 30 years. Sabalenka and Gauff have split their 10 previous matchups evenly, but Sabalenka won their most recent encounter, also on a clay court at the Madrid Open a month ago. ___ AP tennis:
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Chou to meet Antonsen in Indonesia Open final as top two seeds exit
June 7 (Reuters) - Chou Tien-chen of Taiwan beat world number one Kunlavut Vitidsarn 21-16 23-21 in the Indonesia Open in Jakarta on Saturday to set up a final against Anders Antonsen, who defeated defending champion Shi Yuqi. Second seed Vitidsarn shot out of the blocks in both games and racked up 5-1 leads but the 35-year-old Chou showed great resilience, fighting back to secure a spot in his first final since last month's Taipei Open. China's Shi began his semi-final strongly, taking the first game 21-9, while third-seeded Antonsen was much more competitive in the second game and pounced on a string of errors from the top seed to wrest control of the match. Shi had the lead early in the tight third game but Antonsen rose to the challenge to win 9-21 21-18 21-19 -- his first victory over the two-times Asian Games gold medallist since January 2024. In the women's draw, top seed An Se-young of South Korea faced third-seeded Akane Yamaguchi, the second time the pair had met in the semi-finals of a Super 1000 tournament this year. Much like their meeting at the All England Open in March, reigning Olympic champion An held off her Japanese opponent to win 21-18 21-17 and secure a spot in the Indonesia Open final for a third time in her career. An will come up against Wang Zhiyi in Sunday's final after the Chinese world number two beat compatriot Han Yue 21-12 21-13 in 39 minutes.
