(Lausanne) The Russian team remains excluded from the qualifying play-offs for the 2022 Soccer World Cup, at the end of March, after the rejection on Friday by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) of the Russian Federation’s request to suspend sanctions from FIFA.
Posted at 8:06
This decision, similar to that made on Tuesday concerning the UEFA sanctions, does not prejudge the future sentence of the sports justice on the merits of the dispute, which is not expected for at least several weeks.
“The arbitration procedure is continuing. A panel of arbitrators is currently being set up and the parties are exchanging written observations. No hearing has yet been set,” said the Lausanne-based court in a statement.
But already, the refusal to grant the Russian appeal a suspensive effect clears the skies of world soccer for the next few weeks, and deprives Sbornaïa of its chances of winning a ticket for the Qatari tournament (November 21-December 18 ).
Hosts of the last Men’s Soccer World Cup, where they had reached the quarter-finals, the Russians were to meet the Poles on March 24 in Moscow.
As decided by FIFA, Poland is therefore directly qualified for the final of the play-offs, on March 29, against the winner of Sweden – Czech Republic.
The CAS spared a huge headache for the soccer body, since Poles, Swedes and Czechs refused whatever happened to face the Russians, exposing themselves to such inevitable sanctions – given the FIFA statutes – that politically delicate.