Four years after Vladimir Putin hosted the FIFA World Cup, Russia is not on the list of teams participating in the tournament in Qatar or any other sporting event.
While the football world is focused on the opening game of the World Cup on Sunday, Russia will play a friendly match in Uzbekistan at the same time. She only competes with a few countries that are willing to accept her invitation. This is the result of the military invasion of Ukraine and the international ostracism imposed on all Russian sport.
Russian clubs have been banned from the Champions League and other cup competitions, and the women’s national team has been withdrawn from the European Championship. The men’s team was supposed to face Poland in the World Cup promotion play-offs, but the PZPN and the players refused to travel to Moscow for the encounter, just like the other teams. In this situation, FIFA ruled out ‘Sborna’, arguing that allowing Russia to compete could cause more boycotts, chaos and “irreparable damage to the tournament in Qatar”. Despite the Russian side’s appeal, the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld the ban.
So far, the Russian national team in 2022 has beaten Kyrgyzstan 2-1 away in September and drawn 0-0 at Tajikistan on Thursday. Matches against Iran and Bosnia and Herzegovina were originally scheduled for November, but none of them will take place. Instead, Valeriy Karpin’s loads travel through two countries of the former Soviet Union.
The scheduled game against Iran would add credibility to Russia as it would be a clash with a World Cup qualified team. The president of the Russian Football Union told local media that the game could take place in Qatar shortly before the World Cup. This could be seen as an affront by FIFA and no date or venue has been confirmed, so Russia have announced matches in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan instead.
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The Russian leader backed plans for a friendly match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, saying – sport should unite, not divide -. That match was postponed indefinitely by the Bosnian Football Federation last month after team captain Edin Dzeko and other Bosnian internationals opposed the game and voiced their support for Ukraine.
Russia always has a friend to host the World Cup. The Emir of Qatar thanked him for his “great support” in hosting the World Cup in October when he met Putin at a summit in Kazakhstan.
“We are doing everything in our power to share the experience of preparing for the World Cup,” the Russian president said at the time.
Russia and Qatar won the 2010 World Cup vote, eclipsing allegations of corruption. There are more similarities. Both countries have been criticized for the working conditions of those involved in construction projects linked to the event, including migrant workers. Activists have blamed Russia for unpaid wages, workplace deaths and unsafe conditions, including forcing people to work in temperatures well below freezing. In Qatar, history repeated itself, except that working in the deadly heat was called into question.
Russian clubs are battling before CAS over transfer fees for players traveling abroad under a FIFA ruling that allows them to suspend contracts during the war. Yet the eyes of the sports world are now on Qatar.
MB, PAP
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