A member of the Russian delegation at the FIFA Congress has noted that his country had every right to be in Doha despite the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
Alexey Sorokin stated that he was in total disbelief as to why Russian football players had to suffer as a result of the ongoing war.
Russia faces a ban from FIFA and UEFA that suspended their national teams and clubs but the ban does not apply to the Russian Football Union.
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“We find it kind of strange that the Russian team was not allowed to play in this (World Cup) qualification.
“It’s strange. We feel that our football players and football lovers have nothing to do with (the invasion),” Sorokin stated.
Sorokin also defended his presence at the delegation despite the ongoing war, that has received global condemnation.
“We are not hiding. We have every right to be here,” he added.
On whether Russia will be bidding to host Euro 2028 or 2032, the Moscow representative noted that there is a lot of time left before they make a decision.
“It is a long time until 2032...It’s a dual year bid – we have the choice of 2028 or 2032. We need to start,” he noted.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino also called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to pursue dialogue and stop the war in Ukraine.
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