Russian Football Union to appeal to CAS over ban imposed by FIFA, UEFA

By Emre Asikci

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Russian Football Union (RFU) announced Thursday that it will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the decision by football’s governing bodies to suspend Russian teams from international competitions due to Russia’s war on Ukraine

"As part of a single lawsuit against two organizations, the RFU will demand the restoration of all men's and women's national teams of Russia in all types of football in the tournaments in which they took part (including in the qualifying round of the World Cup in Qatar), as well as compensation for damage, if any will be installed," it said in a statement.

"In order to ensure the possibility of the participation of Russian teams in the next scheduled matches, the RFU will insist on an expedited procedure for considering the case. If FIFA and UEFA refuse such a procedure, a requirement will be put forward for the introduction of interim measures in the form of suspension of FIFA and UEFA decisions, as well as competitions in which Russian teams were supposed to participate.”

The RFU noted that they believe "FIFA and UEFA did not have a legal basis when deciding on the removal of Russian clubs."

"The RFU believes that FIFA and UEFA, when deciding on the removal of Russian teams, did not have a legal basis. It violated the fundamental rights of the RFU as a member of FIFA and UEFA, including the right to take part in competitions. In addition, the decision to withdraw the national team from qualification for the 2022 World Cup was made under pressure from direct rivals in the play-offs, which violated the principle of sports and the rules of fair play."

Russia was due to take on Poland in a FIFA World Cup playoff match on March 24, but Russian teams were suspended Monday from all international football over the Russia-Ukraine war.

In addition, the 2022 UEFA Champions League final, originally due to be played in St Petersburg on May 28, has been moved to Paris.

Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, has been met with international outrage, with the European Union, US and UK among others implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.

According to UN figures, 227 civilians have been killed and 525 injured in Ukraine since the start of the war. Ukrainian authorities, however, put the death toll at over 2,000.

More than 1 million people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries, according to the UN Refugee Agency.