“The reason is UEFA’s decision in February to suspend the participation of Russian national teams and clubs in competitions of the organization, and de facto ‘until further notice’“, Add.
After the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces, on February 24, UEFA, the European football institution, and FIFA, the international federation, jointly announced the suspension of the national teams of Russian clubs from all their competitions “until further notice”.
This sanction was already applied in the Women’s Euro Cup, which took place in July in England, in which Portugal replaced the Russian team, and in the Men’s Soccer World Cup in Qatar (November 20 to December 18).
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected in July the appeal of the Russian Football Federation, which opposed this suspension.
Russia’s isolation in qualifying for the next European Championship was confirmed on Tuesday by UEFA, whose executive committee met on the Croatian island of Hvar.
“All Russian teams are currently suspended due to the decision of the UEFA executive committee of February 28, 2022which was confirmed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on July 15, 2022,” recalls UEFA in a statement.
“Consequently, Russia is not included in the qualifying draw for the European football championship,” he adds.
Euro 2024 will take place in Germany, a country that has asked UEFA to also exclude Belarus due to its support for Russia.