Russia’s national men’s football team will not be allowed to play its FIFA World Cup qualifier match against Poland next week after an appeal by the Russian football federation to temporarily freeze the ban on its football teams was dismissed on Friday.
FIFA on Friday said that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the top international arbitrator for sports, had dismissed Russia’s plea seeking a temporary freeze on the ban imposed by global football body over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Also read | England’s best face Spanish giants in last 8 of UCL: Here’s the full list
“The challenged decision remains in force and all Russian teams and clubs continue to be suspended from participation in FIFA competitions. The CAS arbitration proceedings continue,” the CAS said in a statement on Friday.
However, the Russian football federation could still get the FIFA ban overturned before the next round of international football matches in June, and if successful, could force a replay of next week’s match against Poland.
Also read | Barcelona reach Europa League quarters, Sevilla knocked out by West Ham
Friday’s decision by CAS follows a similar ruling on Tuesday, when the international court dismissed Russia’s plea to freeze a ban on its club football teams by UEFA.
Since the invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, international sporting bodies have acted swiftly to exclude Russia from global sporting activities.
Also read | Rashford, Sancho dropped from England squad, 2 Man Utd players make cut
While FIFA and UEFA banned all Russian teams from their competitions, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) also called for a ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes.
Events in Russia have also been cancelled by the International Ski Federation (FIS), while FormulaOne has cancelled the Russian Grand Prix this season, and has also terminated its contract with Russia.