Rostov and Russian national team footballer Nikolai Komlichenko discussed the potential move of the Russian Football Union to the Asian Confederation following a friendly match with Iran. The game took place in Tehran on March 23 and finished 1-1.
Flying is difficult, Komlichenko said. The squad talked about it among themselves. There is a general reluctance to constantly play in such conditions, with no strong desire to persist in this scenario. He added that he hopes to avoid frequent flights and playing on pitches that are not up to the standard they expect. The Iranian pitch, in his view, is closer in quality to the four nations they have recently visited than to others they might encounter.
Iran stands as a strong rival, and against other opponents, especially those seen as weaker in certain seasons, the Russians are determined to prevail, Komlichenko observed, as reported by a Russian sports outlet.
In 2022 the Russian team played three friendlies with Asian teams: Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
On March 26, the national teams of Russia and Iraq are scheduled to meet in a friendly at Gazprom Arena, with kickoff at 18:00 Moscow time.
It is also recalled that in the spring of 2022 FIFA and UEFA decided to suspend the Russian national team and all Russian clubs from participating in international competitions governed by these bodies.
Security in Russia was a topic of discussion during the talks with the Iraqi national team.