Banned from European football since the end of February and the invasion of Ukraine by the Putin regime, the Russian Federation does not budge. She has wanted for several months to apply for the organization of Euro 2028 or 2032, and the current diplomatic fracture does not hinder her ambitions.
Russian media Sport Express and Russian news agency TASS report on Wednesday that Russia is preparing to file a case. “It’s not a joke, assures Rustem Saymanov, general director of Rubin Kazan and member of the executive committee of the Russian Football Union. Life goes on with us, we are open and ready”, adding not wanting to “close to UEFA or Fifa”. An England-Ireland ticket is already in the running for 2028.
Organizer of the 2018 World Cup, host of seven Euro 2021 matches, the country has largely benefited from sport in recent years to establish its influence on the planet. Today, this tool of soft power falters everywhere. And as it stands, Russia’s candidacy has everything of a provocation.
The Russian flag has been excluded from a large number of international and national competitions while Russian and Belarusian athletes are on hold in many disciplines. UEFA took a stand against Moscow very early on. It separated for example from the very lucrative sponsor Gazprom. The organization by Saint Petersburg of the Champions League final on May 28 has also been canceled in favor of the Stade de France in Paris. Fifa meanwhile excluded Sbornaïa from the World Cup in Qatar, while the selection was to play in the play-offs from Thursday.