On 15 and 18 March 2022, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected the request filed by the Russian Football Federation against the decisions of the UEFA Executive Committee and the FIFA Council, which excluded theRussian clubs and national teams of all participation in the competitions they organise.
Referral to the Court of Arbitration for Sport by the Russian Football Federation
In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the FIFA Council and the UEFA Executive Committee decided together, the 28th February 2022, to suspend the participation of all Russian teams, national teams and clubs alike, in the competitions they organise.
Decisions of the Court of Arbitration for Sport
While it has not yet decided the case on the merits and it could have suspended the sanctions imposed by these two authorities during the procedure, the CAS finally ruled out this possibility by two decisions of the March 15 et March 18 2022.
All Russian teams will therefore not be able to participate, until further notice, in competitions organized by FIFA and UEFA, first and foremost the 2022 Men's World Cup, the 2022 Women's Euro and the 2022 Europa League.
Le Spartak Moscow, whose matches were originally scheduled for March 10 and 17, 2022, will therefore have to wait before possibly re-entering the Europa League. The same is true for the male selection, excluded from the play-offs of the World Cup in Qatar, thus allowing Poland to qualify directly for the second round as it stands, as well as for the female selection, sidelined from Euro 2022 in England by FIFA.
