Balahnin Says Europe Will Not Immediately Accept Russia

Former coach of the Russian national team, Sergey Balahnin, expressed his doubts about the return of the national team and clubs to the international arena anytime soon. He shared his views in an interview with the publication “Euro-Football.Ru.”

“Of course, I do not believe in it. I would like to, but what I see is the attitude of Europeans toward us.

Even if someone at FIFA or UEFA wants to allow us to participate in tournaments, it's not clear whether Europe would accept it. For example, how would a match with the England national team be held, and where would it take place?

A neutral ground? There’s no clarity at all.

Still, they won’t play in Turkey or Hungary either. In the United Kingdom, there would be such a major uproar that everyone would refuse to play.

Against the backdrop of political news, this doesn’t fit at all. Even if the special military operation ends soon, we won’t be accepted immediately.

I’m not expecting rapid changes: we’re talking only about England, but then there’s the Baltic states, France, the Netherlands — who are we supposed to play with?” said Balahnin. Earlier, it was reported that UEFA had made a decision regarding Russia.

Officials from the European Football Association decided, following the example of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), not to allow Russian teams to participate on the international stage. Read “Zamin” on Telegram!