Russian clubs were barred from European Cup tournaments, a move that reshaped the football landscape in both the United States and Canada markets. Scotland benefited most from these bans, as the exclusion opened a direct route for the country’s champion to the Champions League group stage, taking the slot previously held by Zenit. Petersburg, having clinched the Russian Premier League on the final day of April, earned the automatic entry into the group phase through direct replacement.
The Russian men’s national team was prevented from competing in the League of Nations, where they would have faced Iceland, Albania, and Israel. In the competition’s hierarchy, Russia dropped from Division B to the lower Division C, a tier that includes teams such as Georgia and Cyprus.
Meanwhile, the Russian women’s national team was not allowed to participate in Euro 2022 and was replaced by Portugal. In addition, the squad was barred from the 2023 World Cup qualifiers.
Russia’s youth teams faced suspension from Euro 2023 as well, though the youth program had been pushing a competitive edge, notably in its bid against strong Spain for a tournament ticket.
UEFA also rejected Russia’s proposals to host the European Championship in 2028 or 2032.
Observers may find UEFA’s stance surprising given recent remarks by Aleksander Čeferin, the head of the organization, who had previously spoken against sanctions targeting Russian athletes. He stated that athletes feel the restrictions and argued that sanctions should not harm the athletes or the Russian people, urging goodwill from the international sporting community.
Vyacheslav Koloskov, the honorary president of the Russian Football Union, anticipated the decision and remarked that the world had not changed much. He noted that optimism briefly rose after Čeferin’s statements but faded quickly as the day progressed.
The RFU official also highlighted Russia’s opposition to moving from UEFA to the Asian Football Confederation, arguing that Asian football operates at a significantly lower level than European football and that such a switch would involve enormous costs for Russian clubs. He cited the example of a domestic match costing tens of millions and wondered how much more a move to Tehran or Abu Dhabi would cost.
Former Moscow Spartak player Maxim Demenko mentioned that sanctions for the 2022/23 season had long been anticipated and that Asian competition might be the path forward.
Igor Kolyvanov, a former Russia national team player, expressed hope that the domestic game would emerge stronger, emphasizing a focus on youth development in the wake of these events.
Massimo Carrera, a former Spartak coach, condemned UEFA’s decision, emphasizing that sports should stay out of politics.
The RFU’s communications team responded to the UEFA decision by reiterating the union’s position: the federation did not agree with the executive committee’s decision and would continue to protect Russian interests in ongoing CAS proceedings, while reserving the right to pursue new applications.
One of the more hopeful notes was that Russian clubs would not finish with zero points in the UEFA coefficient table for the upcoming cycle. For the 2022/23 season, the federation calculated 4,333 points, the lowest total in five seasons, offering a glimmer of resilience amid the disruptions.