CHETUK /Adygea Republic/ November 12. /TASS/. Brazilian-born footballer Douglas Santos, who currently plays for Zenit St. Petersburg FC in the Russian Premier League (RPL), will be able to suit up for the Russian national football team now that he is officially a Russian citizen, the Head Coach of the Russian national football team Valery Karpin said on Tuesday.

On October 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree making Santos a Russian citizen. Irina Volk, a spokesperson for the Russian Interior Ministry, announced to TASS on October 25 that the Brazilian footballer had received a Russian passport.

"Douglas Santos received his passport. Why not bring him aboard the national club once his football documents are finalized, assuming everything is in order," Karpin told journalists.

Santos, 30, has been playing left-back for Zenit St. Petersburg FC since July 2019. He has helped the club win five Russian championships, two Russian Cups, and one Russian Super Cup.

The Brazilian defender has scored seven goals and served up 33 assists in his 198 match appearances with Zenit St. Petersburg FC.

Playing for Brazil at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, he won a silver medal.

Having received the passport of a Russian citizen, Santos is likely to appear playing in Russia’s two international friendly fixtures this month.

The Russian Football Union’s (RFU) press office announced to TASS in late October that the country’s national football team was likely to play two friendly matches in November and they would be also officially registered by the world’s governing body of football, FIFA.

Russia’s football ban

The International Association Football Federation (FIFA) announced on February 28, 2022 that the Russian national team 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 in regard to the Russian national football team’s 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.

Since sanctions were introduced, the Russian national football squad has played a host of friendlies against other countries, namely against Kyrgyzstan (2-1), Tajikistan (0-0), Uzbekistan (0-0), Iran (1-1), Iraq (2-0), Cameroon (1-0), Kenya (2-2), Cuba (8-0), Serbia (4-0) Belarus 4-0 and Vietnam (3-0).