The Russian Football Union (UFR) today postponed a vote to decide whether to resign from UEFA in favor of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) over the exclusion of its teams and clubs over the military intervention in Ukraine.
“The postponement is related to the need to conduct additional consultations on Russia’s potential entry into the AFC. The vote is scheduled before December 31,” the federation’s statement said.
The executive committee of the UFR has to make a final decision now, because, according to its president, Alexandr Diukov, moving to the Asian Confederation is the only way to participate in the qualifying phase for the 2026 World Cup.
The honorary president of the federation, Viacheslav Koloskov, thought that the postponement was related to the need to study in more detail the entry into the AFC.
“The reason now is that there is no certainty that they are not waiting and they will accept us in the AFC. That is why we need to discuss this with the leaders of the Asian confederation,” he said.
Without precedents or jurisprudence
Diukov acknowledges that “no one leaves UEFA”, so there is no precedent or jurisprudence for cases like this.
In his words, Russia still has time to participate in the qualifying stage of the World Cup as an Asian team and FIFA is not against it.
“We don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. Meanwhile, the AFC is now ready to welcome us into its midst. Can we wait? how much If they give us a certain term (…) But what if it is 10 or 15 years? Diukov wondered.
The Kremlin sees this with a good eye
The Kremlin accepts the fact that the Russian national team and clubs play in Asia, because, due to the current antagonism with the US and the European Union, both foreign policy and the national economy are focused on that continent.
Almost all Russian club and national football legends like Dasáyev, Kolibanov or Sichov have also expressed themselves in favor of resigning from UEFA.
The position of coach Valery Karpin
Among them is the coach, Valeri Karpin, although Diukov assured that the coach supports the change, but with reservations.
“We discussed it and we came to the conclusion that playing is better than not playing,” said Diukov.
The sports press was the most skeptical. Several well-known journalists have spoken out against defecting to UEFA due to the UFR closing the doors of European football for a long time and due to the loss of revenue, television viewers and interest among fans who match between Russians and Asians .
A former selector’s notice
One of the few men in football who has openly warned about the dangers of change is historic Spartak Moscow coach and former Russia coach Oleg Romántsev.
“I am definitely against going to Asia (…). Getting out can mean not only a step back, but a road to nowhere,” said Romántsev.
The Minister of Sports seeks consensus
Finally, the Russian Sports Minister, Oleg Matitsin, recommended that the UFR reach an agreement on its entry into the AFC with UEFA and FIFA.
“I believe that relations with international associations, European partners, will not be broken while new conditions of cooperation with the Asian confederation are established. It takes time,” Matitsin told Interfax.
The minister emphasized that the decision is complex, so it must be “balanced” and “balanced”, and take into account “the reality of cooperation with FIFA and UEFA.”
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
