The Russian Football Federation has confirmed its decision to appeal against the ban levied by FIFA and UEFA. Meanwhile, Russian Super League club Spartak Moscow have accepted UEFA’s decision to exclude them from the Europa League this season.
FIFA’s decision to suspend the Russian National Team from competing in international competitions was met, unsurprisingly, with disagreement from the Football Federation of Russia. Through a statement on Monday night, Russia confirmed it intends to challenge the sanctions levied by the sporting authorities – FIFA and UEFA – in the international Court of Arbitration for Sport.
“The Russian Football Union categorically disagrees with the decision of FIFA and UEFA to suspend all Russian teams from participating in international matches for an indefinite period,”
“We reserve the right to challenge the decision of FIFA and UEFA in accordance with international sports law.”
read the statement.
FIFA previously had stopped short of excluding Russia from international competitions; to play their home games at a neutral venue without fans, and without their name, flag, and the anthem was deemed punishment enough by the sporting body, initially. However, FIFA confirmed further sanctions on Monday night, as national teams from Europe and across the Atlantic refused to play against Russia until further notice.
The participation ban is not limited to the national team. Spartak Moscow, Russia’s only remaining club in continental competitions, have been kicked out of the Europa League for the season – UEFA confirmed. In response, Spartak tweeted their disappointment at the decision but fell short of confirming whether or not they intended to challenge it in a court of law.
Spartak were due to play RB Leipzig in the Europa League Round-of-16 but their elimination meant that the German side progressed to the next round through a bye.
