The sanctions against Russia continue to rain down in the world of football… and seem to be becoming permanent.

UEFA struck hard on Monday by excluding Russian clubs from its European competitions next season, including the lucrative Champions League, perpetuating the country's banishment due to its invasion of Ukraine.

Already excluded at the end of February from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which will take place from November 21 to December 18 each and suspended from all international competitions “until further notice”, Russia thus sees the range of sanctions widening and extend over time, a symbol of the unusual voluntarism of the sports world in this dossier.

A big shortfall for Russian players

In a lengthy statement, UEFA listed the measures taken by its executive committee against Russia, applying the ban to all its competitions, from men's, women's and youth club events to selection football.

“No Russian club will participate in the 2022-2023 season of UEFA club competitions” whose main qualifying rounds start in July, namely the Champions League, the Europa League, the Europa League Conference or the League of women's champions, wrote UEFA.

This is a serious shortfall for the teams concerned, deprived of the generous allocations offered by UEFA and who risk seeing their best players leave, enticed by better sporting or financial prospects.

The procedure against UEFA maintained

As it stands, the decision adopted on Monday deprives Zenit Saint Petersburg, crowned champion of Russia 2022, of its direct ticket to the group stage of the next C1.

Russia had already been excluded at the end of February from the 2022 World Cup to come this fall in Qatar, for which the Russian men's selection, quarter-finalists of the 2018 World Cup organized in Russia, could still qualify.

The Russians were therefore unable to participate in the play-offs at the end of March for the Qatari tournament.

The Russian Football Federation withdrew its appeal on March 30 against FIFA's decision to ban its selection from international competitions, thus accepting its exclusion from the 2022 World Cup.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) had, a few days earlier, refused to suspend FIFA's sanctions, but this did not prejudge the future judgment of the sports justice on the merits of the dispute.

The Russian Federation, on the other hand, maintained its procedure against UEFA, which had suspended Russian clubs and selections "until further notice", but "no procedural calendar has been established for the moment", had warned the CAS at the beginning of april.

Women's Euro: Portugal replaces Russia

Be that as it may, pending the decisions of the sports justice, the Russian teams and clubs in several categories find themselves deprived of opponents and opportunities to shine.

UEFA has thus recorded the withdrawal of Russia from the 16 selections participating in the next Women's Euro in England.

This makes Portugal happy, beaten by the Russians in the play-off, which finds itself drafted and placed in group C with Switzerland, the defending champions Netherlands and Sweden.

Similarly, the Russian women's selection, which had not been able to play its recent qualifying matches for the World Cup-2023, "will not participate in any of the upcoming matches in this competition" and is mechanically excluded from the World Cup.

Hopes also banned

In the men's League of Nations, Russia will not participate in the group stage which begins in June and will automatically finish last in its League B group made up of Iceland, Israel, and Albania, a place synonymous with demotion in League C. Similarly, for the Russian Hopes, the prospect of participating in Euro-2023 is fading.

Finally, the Russian candidacy for the organization of the Euro football championships in 2028 and 2032 was deemed "inadmissible" by UEFA, which hides behind its regulations urging potential host countries to "not act to a way likely to discredit” the European body or its competition.

The interest of the Russians to win the organization of their first Euro was known for a long time.

Their sidelining opens up prospects for Turkey, the United Kingdom/Ireland alliance and Italy, candidates remaining in the running for the organization of these two tournaments, which must be awarded in September 2023.

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