Russia appeals to CAS for FIFA, UEFA suspensions

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) - Russia’s governing football body appealed Tuesday to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after the country was excluded from FIFA and UEFA competitions because of Moscow’s war against Ukraine.

CAS said it registered the appeals of the Football Union of Russia (FUR) against the decisions Feb. 28 of FIFA and UEFA as the top regulatory authorities governing global and European football suspended Russian clubs and national teams from international competitions until further notice.

The decisions affected the men's and women's national teams as well as Russian club Spartak Moscow.

Russia will be ineligible to play Poland on March 24 in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification playoffs.

On the women's side, the country cannot join the UEFA EURO 2022 in England on July 6 - 31 if UEFA does not reverse its decision.

Spartak Moscow were disqualified from the 2021-22 UEFA Europa League Round of 16 after UEFA barred Russian clubs from international football competitions.

Russia's war on Ukraine, which began Feb. 24, has drawn international condemnation, led to financial sanctions on Moscow and spurred an exodus of global firms from Russia.

At least 474 civilians have been killed and 861 injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the war, according to the UN, while noting that conditions on the ground make it difficult to verify the true number.

Some 2 million people have also fled to neighboring countries, said the UN refugee agency.