The Russian Football Union has appealed to the Court of Arbitration of Sports against the respective competitive bans levied on the federation by FIFA and UEFA amid the ongoing political crisis in North-Eastern Europe.
Competitive bans, both internationally and domestically, as well as the decision to move this season’s Champions League final from Saint Petersburg – FIFA and UEFA’s sanctions on the Russian Football Union, which have since been opposed by the federation itself. The RFU has taken the two footballing bodies to court, specifically to the Court of Arbitration for Sports, which specializes in adjudicating such sensitive matters.
The Russian federation confirmed the previous week its intention of challenging the bans levied on the international and domestic teams in the court, following the sanctions. At the time of writing, the Russian National Team has been barred from competing in international competitions, and domestic clubs thrown out of continental competitions.
“The RFU will demand the restoration of all men’s and women’s national teams of Russia in all types of football in the tournaments in which they took part, as well as compensation for damage,”
the federation explained.
“In order to ensure the possibility of the participation of Russian teams in the next scheduled matches, the RFU will insist on an expedited procedure for considering the case.”
CAS confirmed that the RFU has lodged an appeal against FIFA and UEFA bans on Tuesday, March 8.
The Russian National Football Team, and the domestic clubs, aren’t the only entities caught in the middle of this geopolitical crisis; several players and personnel find themselves on the wrong side of the lines.
To facilitate their passage out of Russia, FIFA has allowed players and coaches to unilaterally suspend their contracts with their respective domestic sides until the end of the season. During this period, the individuals in question will be considered free agents and permitted to sign a short-term contract with a different employer until June 30.
The outbreak of war has seen an efflux of individuals from Russia, many of whom have bilaterally terminated their contracts to be allowed to leave the country.
