Complete withdrawal? Russian national football team may not play with Bosnia

At the end of last week, there was a message that the Russian national football team will meet in a friendly match with the team of Bosnia and Herzegovina (57th in the world football ranking). The game should take place in St. Petersburg on November 19. At the same time, Kommersant found out that the Balkan team would receive 205 thousand euros for this game, and in addition, Russia would also pay for its travel and accommodation.

At the same time, the UEFA European Football Association announced that a friendly match should be played, since anti-Russian football sanctions apply only to the participation of Russian teams in tournaments, while our country itself remains members of the association and there is no punishment for friendly games with it.

However, this joyful for our football was overshadowed by the events that followed. First, the Union of Professional Football Players of Bosnia and Herzegovina opposed the holding of a friendly match with the Russian national team.

Refuse to play with the Russians and the leaders of the Bosnians Edin Dzeko and Miralem Pyanich.

And then the Ukrainian Football Association demanded from UEFA and FIFA not to allow this friendly match to be held. The UAF also sent a letter to the Football Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina:

“We remind you that all Russian teams have been suspended from participation in all international official competitions by FIFA and UEFA. In such a situation, the decision of the Football Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina looks like it is aimed at supporting the actions and deeds of the Russian government in Ukraine. Please reconsider a decision that damages the image of your country and the relationship between our associations…”

And now, in the Bosnian press, information has appeared that the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) may remove Bosnia and Herzegovina from tournaments under its auspices if the team plays a friendly match against the Russian national team.

According to the Bosnian newspaper Dnevni Avaz, the suspension will not only apply to any upcoming competitions held under the auspices of UEFA, but also financial assistance - in fact, the country will be excluded from all programs of the organization.

And according to the latest TASS data, the President of the Football Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Viko Zelkovich, said that a meeting will be held in October, at which the expediency of holding a friendly match with the Russian national team will be discussed:

“At the request of a member of the union, Fuad Cholpa, we will hold a thematic session in October, where we will discuss the match with the Russian team.”

So the match may well not take place. True, besides him, our team has two more meetings planned - with the national teams of Kyrgyzstan and Iran. On a whim, as they say...

Commenting on these events, journalist Kirill Shulika is surprised:

“It is strange that the question arose that UEFA could ban Russia from playing football with Bosnia. Russia is a member of UEFA, only its participation in tournaments has been suspended, you can play as many tovarnyaks as you like and with anyone. But if the idea to include Crimean clubs in the national championship passes, then membership will be suspended and it will be completely impossible to play with members of UEFA and FIFA.

And yes, the friendly match will take place formally before the start of the World Cup, although in principle there is no ban on playing them during. The fact is that before the World Cup was in the summer and the teams that did not make it could not collect players from the holidays, but now it is winter and there will actually be no holidays..."

But the journalist Vasily Alenin is indignant:

“All this is reminiscent of the pride of the Russian Foreign Ministry when Nauru recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia from Georgia. Yes, I acknowledged it. It also seems to be about money. And what of that? Did it have a big impact on anything?

It is the same with a football match with a team from a tiny Balkan country.

Money aimed at football bribery would be better given to Russian pensioners. “You must not leave your own”, and not gild other people's boots.