MOSCOW, January 10. /TASS/. The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has repaid the Russian Football Union (RFU) the sum of $8 million under one of its initially scheduled programs, RFU Secretary General Maxim Mitrofanov said on Tuesday.
"RFU pays annually its membership fee [with the UEFA]," Mitrofanov said. "This is not about track and field athletics, which require only the sum in hundreds of thousands in foreign currency."
"If we opted to withdraw [from UEFA], then we could have enjoyed the membership for another half of a year. We have recently received from UEFA $8 million under one of its programs," he added.
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.
The Russian team was unable to take part in the playoff qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The Russian national squad did not participate as well in the draw for the 2024 European Championship.
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.
Following the suspension of Russian athletes from international tournaments, many sports federations hinted at their possible participation in the Asia-based sports tournaments.