Russia may move to the Asian Football League – November 27, 2022
Evening football Sunday turned out to be surprisingly diverse.
At the Gazprom Arena, Zenit’s last Cup match of the year against Spartak ended in a penalty shootout (yes, that’s the rules now), which preceded a luxurious old-school all-for-all fight (6 yellow cards).
Immediately after the final whistle, Vedomosti gave a loud quote from the President of the Russian Football Union, Alexander Dyukov, about the transition of Russian football to the Asian Football Confederation:
“A few months ago this [обсуждение] was untimely and dangerous. Now this is an opportunity that we should consider what to order at the next executive committee.”
This has been whispered in football circles since February. Then the Russian national team was voluntarily excommunicated from the play-offs for an offense at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Words were heard about the incompatibility of football and politics, they recalled the failed match of the USSR national team against Chile (the leadership of the main country then refused to play at the stadium due to the frequency of refusals, the Chilean liberals were shot at the Pinochet Junta), the tone of injustice prevailed in the discourse.
But seriously, no one could even think about leaving UEFA. But new times bring new challenges.
No one wants to play with the Russian team. In November, only colleagues from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan agreed to the friendly matches. Both matches ended with an intoxicating score of 0:0, and the last conclusion, for which it was necessary, was formulated as follows: well, what was needed to be reminded that the Russian team exists (I love football, my comrades football, but I know only one person who these matches).
The Asian Football Confederation now has 47 teams. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brunei, Bhutan, Vietnam and alphabetically – to Japan with South Korea. The last two teams plus Australia from the starting list plus Iran were now in Qatar in what was a normal World Cup run.
How to spell Karpin’s squad on this list is a good question. There is no answer to it now. If we take matches with Tajiks and Uzbeks, I would not be sure that the Russian team has a bright future.
I think there are two points of discussion here:
1) from a sporting point of view, I would not be that it would be easy. The same Australians moved to Asia from the Oceania Football Federation, because they were stupidly bored there. Two matches with New Zealand every 4 years and that’s it. Will the current faceless and frankly dreary Russian team be able to fight on the scales with Iran, Australia, South Korea, Japan (beat the Germans)? It seems obvious to me that it doesn’t.
2) It turns out that these words are about imitation of activity. Well, at least something needs to be done. Yes, we have been in the circle of friends from the countries of the collective West for many months. These metamorphoses also touched the football fields. It is very insulting and bitter here and now. Is it necessary to twitch, running around the globe with a special, like in the yard, “will you take us to have fun?”? It seems to me that no.
It has been known since the Middle Ages that we have our own. Not always the happiest. And in geopolitics, and in sports, and in culture. What now, break chairs?
The Russian national football team as a whole rarely gave joy to the fans. Yes, there were exceptions. In 2008; in 2018. But your expectations are your problems, thanks to Arshavin for the precise wording. We also remember the Russia-Ukraine match in 1999.
It’s all rubbish. We believe that it is desirable, and the sovereign’s people believe that for national happiness it would be cool to play with Syria and Nepal. I think that we need to create our own tournament, similar to the World Cup among countries not recognized by FIFA. and play with a pure heart against Artsakh, Lapland and the Vatican.