Russia hit with further sanctions
Russia’s bid to host the European Championship in 2028 or 2032 has been dismissed by UEFA, while the country’s women’s team will not take part in this summer’s Euros in England either.
In March, the Russian federation declared an interest in hosting the men’s tournaments, despite having already been kicked out of 2022 World Cup qualifying and having their club sides eliminated from European competitions. Yet UEFA ended any distant hopes of a Russian-hosted tournament by ruling their bid ineligible.
That ruling means that the joint-bid from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Republic of Ireland remains the favourite to host in 2028, with Turkey declaring an interest in hosting both the 2028 or 2032 tournaments, while Italy are also in contention for the latter.
Meanwhile, UEFA have also extended their ban on Russian teams to its 2022-23 club tournaments, the next Nations League, the 2021-23 European Under-21 Championship and qualification for the 2023 Women’s World Cup, while Portugal will take Russia’s place at this summer’s Women’s European Championship after losing to them in the qualifying play-offs.
Incidentally, the ban on Russian teams from next season’s Champions League is a boost to the Scottish Premiership, with the winners of this season’s title set to qualify automatically for the group stage.