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4 years after Vladimir Putin hosted the World Cup occasion, Russia is off the visitor record.
Whereas the soccer world focuses on the opening recreation of the World Cup in Qatar on Sunday, Russia will likely be enjoying a pleasant recreation in Uzbekistan.
Russia was kicked out of World Cup qualifying after it invaded Ukraine and now can solely play friendlies in opposition to the few nations ready to simply accept its invites.
The Russian males’s nationwide staff’s solely recreation of 2022 up to now was a 2-1 win over Kyrgyzstan in September. Russian golf equipment are barred from the Champions League and the ladies’s nationwide staff was faraway from the European Championship.
Monday marked one 12 months because the final aggressive recreation of the Russian males’s nationwide staff, a 1-0 loss at Croatia on a swampy, waterlogged area. That meant Russia didn’t qualify for the World Cup immediately and went into the playoffs. By the point these got here round, Russia had invaded Ukraine.
Russia’s scheduled opponent, Poland, refused to journey to Moscow to play, as did the opposite groups within the playoff bracket. That raised the prospect of Russia qualifying for the World Cup by default. In authorized battles on the Courtroom of Arbitration for Sport, FIFA argued that letting Russia compete may trigger extra boycotts and “irreparable and chaotic” injury to its match. CAS let the ban stand.
Video games in opposition to Iran and Bosnia-Herzegovina had been deliberate for November however neither is happening. As an alternative, Russia is touring two former Soviet nations to play Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The deliberate Iran recreation would have given Russia the credibility of dealing with a staff which has certified for the World Cup. Ukraine accuses Russia of utilizing Iranian drones to assault its cities, one thing Russia denies. Ukraine requested FIFA to take away Iran from the match, although FIFA has not achieved so.
The president of the Russian soccer federation advised native media that the sport with Iran could possibly be held in Qatar shortly earlier than the World Cup. That would have been seen as a snub to FIFA. No date or venue was ever confirmed earlier than Russia introduced the Tajikistan and Uzbekistan video games as an alternative.
Putin endorsed plans for a pleasant in opposition to Bosnia-Herzegovina in September, saying that “sport ought to unite, not divide, individuals.” That recreation was postponed indefinitely by the Bosnian soccer federation final month, after staff captain Edin Džeko and the nationwide gamers’ union opposed the sport and expressed help for Ukraine.
Russia nonetheless has buddies within the World Cup host nation. Qatar’s emir thanked Russia in October for its “nice help” for organizing the World Cup when he met Putin for talks at a summit in Kazakhstan.
“We’re additionally doing every part we are able to when it comes to transferring the expertise of getting ready for the World Cup,” the Russian president mentioned.
What precisely Russia’s help for Qatar entails is unclear, however Qatari officers have proven curiosity within the tight safety round Russian video games in 2018. For the primary time at a World Cup, it included a compulsory “Fan ID” scheme. A ticket by itself wasn’t sufficient to enter the stadium. Followers supplied private knowledge to get an ID card wanted to go stadium safety, which additionally doubled as a visa to enter the nation. The identical is true of Qatar’s comparable Hayya Card program.
There are extra similarities.
Each Russia and Qatar had been awarded their World Cups in a 2010 vote overshadowed by allegations of corruption.
Each nations additionally confronted scrutiny over the working situations for individuals concerned in World Cup building initiatives, together with migrant staff. Activists accused Russia of unpaid wages, workplace deaths and unsafe conditions, together with individuals being required to work in temperatures far beneath freezing.
4 years after the World Cup in Russia, there’s rigidity between the federal government and soccer followers. The federal government has expanded its Fan ID scheme from the World Cup to cowl league video games inside Russia, sparking a livid response from many followers. Teams of hardcore followers of Russia’s largest golf equipment have been boycotting video games somewhat than join an ID.
Attendances for Russian league video games common lower than 11,000 this season. That’s a 3rd decrease than within the pre-pandemic 2018-19 season and fewer than the typical for the Swiss and Portuguese leagues. It additionally means hundreds of empty seats at many stadiums constructed for the 2018 World Cup.
Russian golf equipment have additionally seen key gamers — together with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, now at Napoli — transfer overseas for no switch price underneath a FIFA ruling that enables them to droop their contracts through the conflict.
When the group stage on the World Cup will get getting into earnest subsequent Monday, eight Russian golf equipment will likely be busy on the Courtroom of Arbitration for Sport attempting to overturn that switch ruling.
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AP World Cup protection: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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