Negotiations are ongoing about holding friendly matches with teams from the continent, RFU chief Maksim Mitrofanov has said
FILE PHOTO. Napoli’s Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly and Spartak Moscow’s Brazilian defender Ayrton vie for the ball during the UEFA Europa League football match between Spartak Moscow and Napoli at Moscow’s Spartak Stadium on November 24, 2021. © Natalia KOLESNIKOVA / AFP
The Russian Football Union (RFU) has made contact with a number of major African teams about holding friendly matches this year, RFU Secretary General Maksim Mitrofanov said in an interview published on Saturday.
The RFU is “negotiating with African and Latin American” football organizations to determine “which teams are now free and which are playing official matches” following “preliminary agreements,” according to Mitrofanov
FIFA and UEFA suspended Russia’s national team and clubs from participating in international tournaments after the start of Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine early last year.
A working group was formed in late 2022 to discuss Russia’s possible transition to the Asian Football Confederation, which was followed by several meetings with Asian rivals.
Commenting on the friendly game in St. Petersburg between the Russian and Iraqi teams held on March 26, Mitrofanov said that this showed that it is possible to host friendly matches in Russia.
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“Colleagues from FIFA and UEFA have followed and are following our international matches,” he said, adding that it was important that the match took place in Russia despite the suspensions.
“We were able to show everyone that this is possible. It is positive that the match was held in Russia,” he said.
Mitrofanov acknowledged Russia’s ongoing inability to compete against European teams, which means it may take part in an Asian tournament in June.
“At the moment, we are considering only Asia due to the transfer of the Asian Cup from China. Africa also has official competitions,” the RFU secretary said.
