Court Of Arbitration for Sport upholds UEFA ban on Russian clubs over invasion of Ukraine

 Saturday, July 16, 2022 – The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Friday, July 15, upheld the ban on Russian clubs from European competitions for the coming season and Russia’s exclusion from international tournaments over the invasion of Ukraine.

CAS upheld decisions by UEFA and FIFA which excluded Russian national teams and clubs following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Russia was already excluded from men’s World Cup qualifying and the women’s European Championship. Its clubs won’t feature in competitions like the Champions League in 2022-23.

“The panel finds it unfortunate that the current military operations in Ukraine, for which Russian football teams, clubs, and players have themselves no responsibility, had, by reason of the decisions of FIFA and UEFA, such an adverse effect on them and Russian football generally, but those effects were, in the panel’s view, offset by the need for the secure and orderly conduct of football events for the rest of the world,” CAS ruled.

The ruling adds that FIFA and UEFA did not exceed their authority while dealing with “unforeseen and unprecedented circumstances.”

The decision leaves national champion Zenit St. Petersburg out of the Champions League group stage. Another Russian team, Sochi, will be left out of the Champions League third qualifying round draw, scheduled for Monday. If Russian had been allowed to take part, it wasn’t clear where their home games could be hosted or if Ukrainian clubs would boycott.

The decision Friday was widely anticipated by Russian clubs. They have been making plans to schedule domestic cup games on the dates when European games will be played next season.

CAS did not refer to the fighting as an “invasion” or “war” terms rejected by Russia, which calls its actions a “special military operation” and did not assign blame.

Russia’s national soccer federation said it “strongly disagrees with the CAS decision and reserves the right to continue protecting its own interests.”

The next steps could include a demand for compensation or a new appeal to the Swiss supreme court. The Swiss Federal Tribunal overturns CAS rulings only on limited grounds such as abuse of the legal process.