Russia Appeals To CAS, After Heavy Sanctions Imposed By FIFA And UEFA

Russian National Team (Twitter @TeamRussia)

JAKARTA - The Russian Football Association (RFU) will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the international body to resolve sports disputes. The step was taken by the RFU regarding the penalties or sanctions imposed by FIFA and UEFA.

The RFU intends to file a lawsuit against FIFA and UEFA, in which the lawsuit contains a message that the Russian national team has the opportunity to compete, including in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

The reason is, last week FIFA and UEFA have decided that the Russian national team and clubs are suspended from all competitions under the auspices of the two football bodies. This sanction was taken by FIFA and UEFA related to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The RFU said the FIFA and UEFA penalties violated basic rights, principles of sport and fair play when taking away the right of Russian clubs and national teams to compete.

"The RFU will demand the restoration of all Russian men's and women's national teams in the various football tournaments in which they took part (including the qualifying round for the World Cup in Qatar), as well as compensation for the damage," the RFU said in a statement.

"In order to ensure the possible participation of Russian teams in the next scheduled matches, the RFU will demand an expedited procedure to consider this case," the statement continued.

The Russian national team was originally scheduled to face Poland in a World Cup qualifying playoff match. However, following sanctions from FIFA and UEFA, Russia was declared void.

Meanwhile, the Russian women's soccer team was also punished by not being able to participate in the European Cup in mid-2022. All of this was a real aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine where the situation was getting out of control.

Finally, regarding when to appeal against FIFA and UEFA, the RFU will announce the schedule in a follow-up decision.