March 16, (THEWILL) – Russian football chiefs have failed in an attempt to suspend the ban on their teams appearing in UEFA competitions.
The Russian Football Union (FUR) lodged an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after its clubs and national team were banned from all FIFA and UEFA competitions “until further notice”, as THEWILL reported.
The joint-decision taken by FIFA and UEFA followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine three weeks ago.
However, Russia “categorically disagreed” with the ban and submitted its appeal, while also seeking an initial stay of execution.
Unfortunately, CAS, which has yet to announce a schedule for the appeal hearing, has refused to put UEFA’s sanctions on hold temporarily.
In a statement on the subject, CAS stated: “The challenged decision remains in force and all Russian teams and clubs continue to be suspended from participation in UEFA competitions.”
At the time of the decision, Spartak Moscow was Russia’s only remaining representative in European club competition, with RB Leipzig obtaining a bye to the Europa League quarter-finals.
The CAS announcement on Tuesday solely affects UEFA competitions. Russia is attempting to reverse a FIFA suspension, which would allow them to compete in the World Cup.
Russia was supposed to play Poland in a qualifying play-off semi-final later this month, but FIFA gave their opponents a bye to the final instead.
Should Russia lose their appeal, Poland will play either Sweden or the Czech Republic for a spot in Qatar 2022, with the semi-final on March 24 still due to take place.
Due to the continuing events in Ukraine, Poland, Sweden, and the Czech Republic had all insisted that they will not play Russia.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
