Russian Football takes bold decision in hope of qualifying for 2026 FIFA World Cup
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Russian football is about to make history by switching from playing in the European Football Association to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The criteria which were anticipated this Tuesday is still up for debate but will be made public relatively soon. Due to the ban on Russian clubs and the Russian national team competing in Europe since the invasion of Ukraine in February of this year, the Russian Football Union is considering leaving UEFA, a never-before-seen development.
In a statement, the RFU said that “The postponement is related to the need for additional consultations on Russia’s potential entry into the AFC. The vote is scheduled to take place before December 31.”
The decision has been delayed, according to Honorary President of the Federation Viacheslav Koloskov, because so far “there is no guarantee that they are waiting for us and will accept us into the AFC. That’s why we need to talk to the leaders of the Asian Confederation.”
The president of the Russian Football Union, Alexandr Diukov, for his part, emphasised the conflict and claimed that “no one has ever left UEFA,” thus there is no precedent regarding potential consequences: “We don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel”.
Russian Football decision to join Asian Football Confederation have garnered mixed response
The prospect of Russian and Belarusian athletes returning to compete was raised at the most recent Olympic Summit, and Asia was favorable to integrating them in the events that will be staged on the continent. “The AFC is willing to accept us. Can we wait? How much? If they gave us a specific deadline… But if it’s 10 or 15 years?”, Diukov reflected.
The majority of clubs and Valeri Karpin, the current national team coach, would be in favour of Russia leaving UEFA to play in Asia. “We talked about it and came to the conclusion that playing is better than not playing,” Diukov said. Nevertheless, Oleg Romantsev, a former national team coach, is among those speaking out against the proposal: “I am categorically against going to Asia. The exit can mean not just a step back, but a path to nowhere.”
The Russian national team, who were scheduled to face Poland in the Repechage, was kicked out of the European Qualifiers for the 2022 Qatar World Cup once the invasion of Ukraine erupted. The reason for their desire to compete in Asia is that, as of now, it is the only way that Russians can qualify for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. How will FIFA respond? The situation will soon be resolved.
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Sujeeth Shetty
(766 Articles Published)