Russia is bidding to host the 2028 European Championship against entry to the British Isles or against Italy in 2032, despite its teams being suspended from international competition due to the war in Ukraine.
At a meeting of the executive committee of the Russian Football Union (RFU) on Wednesday, it was decided to “support the decision to declare interest” in the 2028 and 2032 tournaments, the organization said in a statement before the deadline for submitting expressions of interest to UEFA. .
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It was unclear when the application would be submitted and whether the country would clarify whether it preferred to host the event in 2028 or 2032.
“We are going to apply to host the European Championships in 2028 and 2032,” said Sergei Anokhin, a member of the RFU board, on Match TV.
Russia hosted the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the venue for the final, the Luzhniki Stadium, was used last week for a rally in support of President Vladimir Putin.
“Today we are sending a declaration,” Dyukov said. “We proceed from the fact that Russia is already ready to host large-scale competitions. We have experience.”
This unlikely Russian plan is bound to meet fierce resistance. Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic have independently announced that they will refuse to play Russia in World Cup qualifiers, even on neutral ground, until FIFA decides to suspend Russia.
UEFA will provide bidders with tournament requirements next Wednesday and then confirm their candidacies on 5 April. The deadline for submitting the final application dossiers is no earlier than April 2023, and the decision of the UEFA Executive Committee was made in September 2023.
“We reserve the right to apply,” Dyukov said. “This option costs nothing. And you can’t refuse it if it’s not expensive.”
The bid for the British Isles is led by England, with Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also participating.