Russia’s national football team was excluded from FIFA and Uefa competitions after the invasion of Ukraine. Russia was fighting for a spot in Qatar 2022, but was eliminated from the list that had to play in the World Cup playoffs. While Uefa excluded all teams from European club competitions. But now the Russian team is ready to take the field, because a friendly with Bosnia has been organized for the month of November. After the announcement, controversy erupted.
The Russian teams were excluded from international competitions, FIFA and Uefa, after the invasion of Ukraine. The Russian national football team did not play a single match in 2022 and to cancel the zero in this box, the federation organized a friendly match, which will be played on November 19, exactly one day before the start of the Qatar World Cup. Russia in St. Petersburg will host Bosnia. A decision that generated numerous controversies.
Among the most critical is Miralem Pjanic, former Roma and Juventus player who after an unhappy experience at Barcelona ended up in the United Arab Emirates, who speaking to his country’s media said: “The decision is not a good one. I’m speechless. In the Football Federation they know what I think.” Harsh words that also suggest a possible boycott by several players on the national team.
The mayor of Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia, is also very difficult Benjamina Karic than on social media: “Sarajevo as the city under siege for the longest time by the attackers and I, as mayor, strongly condemn the decision of the National Football Federation to play a friendly with Russia. Unless the decision is revoked, we will cease cooperation with the Football Federation. , which until now has borne fruit”.
By losing the last match of the qualifiers against Croatia, Russia ended up in the playoffs, which they did not play because they were excluded from FIFA. But well before the exclusion, due to the invasion of Ukraine, the three teams that could have challenged the Russians in the playoffs, namely Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic, had declared that they would take the field against the Russians.
Source: Fan Page IT
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
