KEIR RADNEDGE REPORTS: The Russian Football Union will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the joint decisions earlier this week by FIFA and UEFA to bar its teams from international competitions over the invasion of Ukraine.

A statement from the RFU said it would register one lawsuit against the world and European governing bodies to demand that Russian men’s and women’s national teams be allowed to compete, including in qualifying for this year’s World Cup in Qatar. 

The Russian national team had been scheduled to host Poland in the World Cup’s European playoffs on March 24 and then, if they won, host Sweden or Czech Republic on March 29 with a place in the finals in Qatar at stake.

All three opponent federations had stated they would not play against Russia, even in the initially-proposed neutral venue behind closed doors.

UEFA and its president Aleksander Ceferin had already switched the Champions League Final on May 28 from St Petersburg to the Stade de France in Saint-Denis.

A major sponsorship with Russian energy giant Gazprom has been shut down and UEFA has also expelled Spartak Moscow from the Europa League, awarding a bye into the next round for RB Leipzig.

The joint decision also removes Russia’s from the UEFA Nations League and in Women’s European Championship in England in the summer.

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