Will Russia leave the European scene? The Russian Football Federation is considering joining the Asian Confederation! What is the main reason?

Will Russian football clear the European field? This is one of the big topics that has been discussed in the world of football in recent hours and probably will be for a long time to come. Indeed, the national team and club football of Russia is considering leaving the European association UEFA and joining the Asian confederation AFC due to sanctions.

The state news agency TASS recently came up with information that could shake up European football.

According to the information, the Russian Football Federation was due to discuss leaving the European association UEFA to join the Asian confederation AFC on Friday, December 23.

The Russians’ decision then, of course, follows the sanctions imposed by UEFA on the Russian Football Federation following the invasion of Ukraine. Russia has been barred from the play-offs to qualify for this year’s World Cup in Qatar and is not even part of the qualification for the Euro 2024 tournament in Germany.

Since the invasion began, the Russian national team has played only three friendlies, against Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. That is, three former Soviet republics that are part of the Asian confederation.

The political side of things

If the AFC does indeed accept Russia’s application to join, it would put the Russians on notice to all that the country is not politically isolated. Moreover, it seems that Asia is ready to accept the Russian Football Federation.

Why? Because already last week, the Olympic Summit agreed to a proposal by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in qualifying competitions for the 2024 Olympic Games in Asia under its jurisdiction.

It would not be the first time…

It should be noted, something like this would not be the first time. A look at history – Israel has been a member of UEFA since 1992, when it was expelled from the AFC for political reasons.

Australia then left the Oceania confederation and joined the Asian confederation in 2006. This was due to more competition and a better chance to qualify for the World Cup.

Sources: ANEWS, UEFA