MOSCOW, March 15. /TASS/. Russia’s possible participation in the tournament of the Central Asian Football Federation (CAFA) in June does not contradict a previous decision of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to bar Russian national football teams, UEFA’s press office said in a statement to TASS on Wednesday.
"Friendly matches are not part of UEFA competitions and, as such, fall outside the competence and responsibility of UEFA," the statement reads.
"Therefore, the participation of Russian teams in a friendly tournament is not in contradiction with the decision of the UEFA Executive Committee to suspend Russian teams from UEFA competitions.," according to UEFA.
The press office of the Tajikistan Football Federation (TFF) announced to TASS on March 13 that the Russian national football squad would be allowed to take part in the CAFA championship in June.
Later that day, the Russian Football Union (RFU) announced that it was in talks about the possible participation of the men’s national team in the championship.
CAFA was established in June 2014 and it is one of five regional bodies of governance within the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Besides CAFA, the AFC also includes the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF), the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) and the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF).
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) barred Russian clubs and teams on February 28, 2022 from participating in international competitions due to the situation around Ukraine.
On February 28, 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments referring to a special military operation in Ukraine.
Following the IOC’s recommendations in late February, the majority of global sports federations decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.
After the suspension of Russian athletes from international tournaments, many sports federations hinted at their possible participation in the Asia-based sports tournaments.
Russian Football Union (RFU) President Alexander Dyukov announced in late November, 2022 that because of Russia’s suspension from UEFA and FIFA competitions for its national teams and football clubs, the RFU was looking at joining the Asian Football Confederation.