CAS published the reasoning part of the decision on the appeal of the RFU to the removal of Russia

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has published the reasoning of the decision on the appeals of the Russian Football Union (RFU) on the removal of athletes from international competitions (.pdf). In May, UEFA and FIFA banned domestic teams from participating in competitions under the auspices of organizations. CAS dismissed the RFU’s appeal against this decision.

The arbitration called it reasonable and clarified that they acted within the framework of their charters and regulations.

The reasoning statement states that “UEFA was forced to make a suspension decision, as well as a similar challenged decision, for which the clubs and players themselves are not responsible, but which had and is likely to have a negative impact on them.” The suspension decision is temporary: “Representative teams and clubs in Russia are suspended from participating in UEFA competitions until further notice.”

The applicants argued that the measures imposed by the associations should be consistent with the principle of equal treatment, and this is especially true in sports, where equal treatment is fundamental to any competition, it follows from the document. “They argued that the contested decision violated the principle of equal treatment because UEFA did not remove Ukraine or Belarus from the list of admissions, and also because UEFA’s unfounded concerns about security and logistical issues applied equally to Ukraine and Belarus,” says in the document. The defendant denied the violation of the principle of equal treatment.

Due to the decision of UEFA and FIFA, the Russian team was unable to play in the play-offs for entering the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The RFU’s bid to host the European Championship in 2028 or 2032 was also rejected.

Read more about the appeal in the publication “Kommersant FM” “The appeal of the RFU flew past the gate”.

Maria Fedotova