Cherchesov spoke about Russia’s possible transition to the Asian Confederation

Former Russian national team coach Stanislav Cherchesov spoke about the possible transition of the Russian Football Union (RFU) to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The specialist’s words are quoted by Sport Express.

“Asia does not have a separate federation from the International Football Federation (FIFA). FIFA holds the World Cup. And what? We will move to another confederation, but FIFA will not let us play,” Cherchesov said. He noted that before making a decision to move to the AFC, it is worth taking a short pause to assess the situation.

In December 2022, the RFU executive committee created a working group that is studying the issue of transition from the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to the AFC. The decision is planned to be made by the end of 2023. FIFA has stated that it will not prevent the Russian national team from participating in the qualification for the 2026 World Cup if the country moves to Asia.

In February 2022, FIFA and UEFA excluded Russian national teams and clubs from international tournaments. Teams do not compete in European competitions, and the Russian national team lost the opportunity to compete for access to the final part of the 2022 World Cup.