The Russian Football Union (RFU) intends to hold an executive committee meeting on Friday to discuss resigning from UEFA, sources confirmed to ESPN on Thursday. The federation will look to move to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) following the action.
Since the Russian war against Ukraine, all Russian clubs as well as the Russian national team have been banned by both UEFA and FIFA from participating in competitive matches. Although the global ban remains in place, the RFU believes that the Asian confederation may be more lenient on its stance, thereby enabling Russian teams to participate yet again.
“In the current geopolitical realities, the presence of the RFU in UEFA contradicts the national interests of Russia,” Roman Teryushkov, the deputy of the State Duma explained in a public statement. “It is impossible to build sports friendships with countries unfriendly to us and with constant poking from the collective West.”
An initial meeting to discuss the transition to the AFC was held on Wednesday, while a final decision will be taken during Friday’s meeting. Meanwhile, UEFA continues to monitor Russia and awaits the union’s final decision regarding its UEFA member status.
