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Russian football chief eyes fall reconciliation with FIFA, UEFA

Alexander Dyukov said that he has had numerous conversations with FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Alexander Ceferin, the president of the Union of European Football Associations

MOSCOW, June 3. /TASS/. Russia’s participation in FIFA and UEFA-sanctioned tournaments globally and in Europe could be revisited in the fall of this year, Russia’s football chief told TASS on Monday.

The President of the Russian Football Union (RFU) said in an interview with TASS that he has had numerous conversations with FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Alexander Ceferin, the president of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).

"Of course, I held talks with them. In general, now we are taking a break in our [RFU] relations with both organizations," Dyukov said in response to a corresponding question from TASS.

"I believe that some changes could be introduced this fall. I hope so," he added.

The RFU president also said that he would not come to the upcoming 2024 UEFA Euro Cup in Germany.

Asked by a TASS correspondent whether he planned to personally attend matches at the 2024 Euro Cup, Dyukov replied "No."

"Our players were stripped of this opportunity and it would be hypocritical on my behalf to attend matches of this tournament," he stated.

The 2024 UEFA Euro Cup is scheduled to be played in Germany between June 14 and July 14. Matches will be held in the German cities of Berlin, Dortmund, Munich, Cologne, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Leipzig, Frankfurt, Gelsenkirchen and Dusseldorf.

Russia’s football ban

The International Association Football Federation (FIFA) announced on February 28, 2022 that the Russian national teams and all professional clubs representing the country were barred from taking part in FIFA tournaments.

In turn, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) made a similar decision regarding the Russian national football teams’ participation in UEFA tournaments.

Both FIFA and UEFA cited Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine as grounds for their respective bans on Russian teams’ participation in competitions.

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