Russia’s request to freeze a FIFA ban on its soccer teams ahead of next week’s World Cup qualifying playoffs was dismissed on Friday, March 18, 2022.
FIFA said the Court of Arbitration for Sport, CAS, dismissed the Russian soccer federation’s bid for an urgent interim ruling to freeze the ban pending a full appeal.
The CAS decision means Russia will not be able to play Poland in World Cup qualifying on Thursday and almost certainly means Russia cannot feature at the World Cup in Qatar later this year.
They had been in a four-team play-off path also featuring Poland, Sweden, and the Czech Republic with the semi-finals and final being played later this month.
Poland, who had originally been due to play Russia in a play-off semi-final, have been granted a bye to the final where they will face either Sweden or the Czech Republic on March 29.
The ruling follows a similar CAS refusal on Tuesday to freeze UEFA’s ban on Russian national and club teams in European soccer.
Russian athletes have been banned from competing in multiple sports because of the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Belarusian athletes have also been banned because their country has been an ally of Russia.
FIFA was initially pilloried for it’s response to Russia’s invasion, announcing a set of ‘interim measures’ that would allow Russia to continue competing, but at neutral venues and without their nation’s flag or anthem.
However, opposition to the measures gathered significant momentum, and Poland, Sweden, and the Czech Republic sent a joint letter to FIFA at the end of last month saying they would refuse to face Russia in the play-offs.
Just one day later, FIFA and UEFA ruled jointly on February 28 that all teams and clubs from the country could not take part in their competitions.
The move meant Russia would not be allowed to fulfil their qualifier against Poland and effectively ended their chance of participating in the World Cup in Qatar later this year.
UEFA further announced that the venue of this year’s Champions League final would move from Russian city St Petersburg to French capital Paris.
After the announcements, the Football Union of Russia, FUR, launched two appeals against FIFA and UEFA’s decisions with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and demanded that their ejection by both football authorities be stayed until full appeal procedures had been completed.
A ruling in the FUR’s favour would, in effect, have allowed Russia to continue competing in all football competitions until CAS made its final judgment on the two separate appeals.
However, in a second blow in just a few days, the FUR failed in its proceedings against FIFA.
In a statement on Friday, March 18, 2022, CAS said: ‘The president of the appeals arbitration division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, CAS, has rejected the request filed by the Football Union of Russia, FUR, to stay, for the duration of the CAS proceedings, the execution of the FIFA Council’s decision to suspend all Russian teams and clubs from participation in its competitions until further notice (the challenged decision).
‘Accordingly, the challenged decision remains in force and all Russian teams and clubs continue to be suspended from participation in FIFA competitions. The CAS arbitration proceedings continue.
‘A Panel of arbitrators is currently being constituted and the parties are exchanging written submissions. No hearing has been fixed yet.’
The decision echoes the similar verdict that CAS reached on Tuesday in the FUR’s complaint against UEFA, which ruled that ‘all Russian teams and clubs continue to be suspended from participation in UEFA competitions.’
That ruling means Spartak Moscow, the only Russian side left in the latter stages of the Champions League, Europa League or Europa Conference League, were thrown out of the Europa League last 16, with their opponents RB Leipzig receiving a bye.
CAS may yet rule to overturn FIFA and UEFA’s decision when it makes its full judgment, which would see Russia reinstated.
Source: Daily Mail
