FIFA announced earlier this week that they would allow Russia to compile teams for the upcoming UEFA European U17 Championship. The move, however, hasn't gone down well with other nations. In fact, England and Ukraine both threatened to boycott the tournament if Russia is involved. However, the governing body of the sport now claims that […]

With the start of the new season, UEFA will once again accept Russian under-17 teams into its tournaments. On Tuesday, the governing body of European soccer declared that it lifted its ban on all Russian teams. These squads rejoin continental events next season. Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Then, the […]

Russia's national soccer team looks set to play meaningful games once again this summer in an Asian tournament. Since February 2022, FIFA banned the nation from official competition under the FIFA umbrella. However, now it seems as if Russia will be playing in an Asian tournament in June. The Central Asian Football Association Championships launch […]

Russia is considering a switch away from UEFA in order to join the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The Russian Football Union (RFU) has already supposedly scheduled a meeting to discuss the potential move. Sources at ESPN claim that the summit will take place on Friday. The Russia national soccer team, as well as all clubs […]

The Qatar emir expressed gratitude to Russian President Vladimir Putin for help in organizing the 2022 World Cup. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Putin met in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Thursday. The issuance of thanks comes at a curious time. The 2022 World Cup starts in roughly five weeks, and controversy is imbued within the […]

Recently, the Bosnia and Herzegovina football association scheduled a friendly against Russia set for November. Yet, with Russia still in the midst of sanctions from UEFA and FIFA, there is strong backlash to the fixture. In a brief announcement on Friday, the N/FSBiH declared that they accepted an invitation from Russia. The game is set […]

Moscow (AFP) – Russian captain Artem Dzyuba announced on Sunday that he was leaving Zenit Saint Petersburg, two months after asking to be left out of the national squad because of the conflict in Ukraine. "Saint-Pet', thank you for everything!" the 33-year-old striker wrote on his Instagram account.  The message was accompanied by a video […]

Lausanne (AFP) – The Russian football federation has dropped an appeal against FIFA's World Cup ban, imposed after the invasion of Ukraine, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Tuesday. Russia was drawn to face Poland in a World Cup qualifying play-off semi-final, but the Poles received a bye and then reached the […]

Lausanne (AFP) – The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Friday refused to suspend FIFA's ban on Russia taking part in the playoffs for the 2022 World Cup finals that was imposed over the invasion of Ukraine. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is still to rule on the legal basis of the ban, […]

The current situation in Ukraine put the geopolitical world on edge. Russian President Vladimir Putin's unprovoked attack on the neighboring country stymied peace in Europe. While the issues are far more important than soccer, the ramifications carry over into sport. After all, competitions like the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Euros bring millions of […]

London (AFP) – English Premier League club Everton said Wednesday they were suspending with "immediate effect" sponsorship agreements with three companies in which Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov has a stake following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "Everyone at Everton remains shocked and saddened by the appalling events unfolding in Ukraine," said a club statement. "This tragic […]