UEFA to discuss Russian football ban - media

UEFA, the governing body of European football, are expected to extend the ban imposed on Russian football in the wake of the onset of the military operation in Ukraine at a meeting next week, a report by Russia's Championat outlet claims.  

According to the media, UEFA has no plans to permanently expel Russia from its ranks.

However, the current suspension on both the men's and women's national team as well as Russian clubs is set to be continued. 

The meeting is expected to provide further clarity as to the sanctions imposed on the RFU, with two proposals thought to be up for debate.

One option would be to formally impose a further suspension for the entirety of next season, while another more open-ended possibility would be to maintain the current status quo until further notice. 

The latter option would ensure that Russian football clubs would be ineligible to compete in European competitions such as the Champions League or the Europa League in the 2022-23 season - though it remains unlikely that any determination from UEFA at next week's meeting would allow the reinstatement of Russian clubs int their competitions next season. 

It was announced on February 28 that Russia had been banned from competitions of both UEFA and FIFA, just days after the beginning of the military campaign in Ukraine.

The conflict has seen several such sanctions placed on Russian sports by various sporting federations across numerous codes.

The Russian men's national team were effectively suspended from this year's World Cup in Qatar after Valeri Karpin's team were barred from competing in the qualification playoffs. 

Several other national teams in Europe also stated that they would refuse to fulfil fixtures with Russia, even if they were permitted to compete by football authorities under a neutral flag. 

Spartak Moscow were also refused the possibility to play in a Europa League quarter-final match due to the sanctions.