Fifa and Uefa bans: Russia's football association moves to the sports court

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Fans at a Spartak Moscow home game

Photo: Sergei Fadeichev / imago images / ITAR-TASS

The Russian Football Association is appealing to the CAS against the exclusion from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar by Fifa and from all European club competitions by Uefa.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport confirmed receipt of the corresponding objection, which the association had already announced last Thursday.

Russia underlined its demand to lift the bans and exclude all teams from all competitions.

Among other things, Spartak Moscow was excluded from the Europa League, so opponent RB Leipzig is already a quarter-finalist.

The first leg of this encounter would have taken place next Thursday, March 10th.

Also affected is Russia's national team, which should have played against Poland in the World Cup playoffs on March 24.

However, the country was banned from all competitions in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

Opponents Poland had already announced that they would not play against Russia in the play-offs.

In addition, the European Women's Championship will be held in July, for which the Russian team would have qualified.

From the point of view of the association, there is “no legal basis” for the decision by Fifa and Uefa.

The decision was made "under pressure" from the opposing associations, and one was not allowed to present one's own position.

jan/sid