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Russia discusses its participation in Central Asian Football Federation championship

Earlier in the day, the press office of the Tajikistan Football Federation announced that the Russian national football squad was allowed to take part in the championship of the Central Asian Football Federation in June

MOSCOW, March 13. /TASS/. The Russian Football Union (RFU) is currently in discussions about a possible participation of the men’s national team in the championship of the Central Asian Football Federation (CAFA) in June, RFU’s press office said in a statement on Monday.

"We are currently in discussions about the possibility and conditions of the Russian national team’s participation in this tournament," the RFU’s press office stated.

Earlier in the day, the press office of the Tajikistan Football Federation (TFF) announced to TASS that the Russian national football squad was allowed to take part in the championship of the Central Asian Football Federation (CAFA) in June.

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.

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