Russia invited to participate in Central Asian soccer event
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Loading... - Geetika Rai
- 14 Mar 2023
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Russia has been invited to participate in the inaugural Central Asian Football Association Championships in June along with seven other national teams
Russia has been invited to participate in the inaugural Central Asian Football Association Championships in June along with seven other national teams.
Russian teams have been barred from European and FIFA competitions since the invasion of Ukraine in February of last year. But the Tajikistan Football Association announced Monday that a Russian team could join the new regional tournament along with former Soviet republics Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Afghanistan, Iran and another country, yet to be confirmed, will complete the lineup for the games expected to be hosted in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan and Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The Central Asian Football Association was formed in 2014 as one of five regions within the Asian soccer confederation and has headquarters in Tajikistan. It held the CAFA women’s championship and junior age championships last year.
According to the Tajikistan Football Association, Russia has already accepted the invitation for the men's event in June. But the Russian Football Union told state media: “We are currently in discussions about the possibility and conditions of the Russian national team’s participation in this tournament.”
The move will rekindle debate about a possible Russian entry into the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) as the country seeks to return to international soccer competition.
In January, Russian Football Union president Alexander Dyukov drew back from a December threat to join the AFC after meeting with European football officials.
No resolution has yet been found. Dyukov last month attended the AFC Congress in Bahrain, holding talks with AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa. Read More…
