INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
competitions in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine has led to declining standards in domestic matches, fan apathy and foreign players
recent match in Moscow.Anton Novoderezhkin / TASSIndifference toward the football World Cup currently underway in Qatar contrasts with the
World Cup that Russia successfully hosted four years ago that saw tens of thousands of fans from all over the globe traveling,
the quarterfinals for the first time in history.Their impressive showing fostered a new interest in Russian football, with more fans at
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), with the UEFA Champions League final in May taking place in Paris rather than its originally
some Russian football fans have switched their allegiance to Serbia, a Balkans nation that shares a common Orthodox faith with Russia and is
simply not following the World Cup, or believe FIFA made the correct decision."I think FIFA was right in disqualifying Russia," said
has only played a few international matches since the start of the war
After an outcry, Russia was forced to cancel a friendly with Bosnia and Herzegovina scheduled to take place the day before the World Cup in
invasion has had major consequences for domestic football, including financial problems and an exodus of talented players from European
with obtaining sports equipment.Despite the problems, some fans believe that the situation will quickly return to normal if Russia can win
Petersburg, one of those watching the Brazil-Serbia match said that the invasion of Ukraine and international sanctions have even had an
