MOSCOW, May 13. /TASS/: Russian football clubs CSKA Moscow, Zenit St. Petersburg, Dynamo Moscow and Sochi have filed a lawsuit with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against their suspension from the European tournaments in the 2022/2023 season, CSKA Moscow FC press office announced in a statement on Friday.
"The clubs requested a prompt consideration of the submitted appeal," the statement reads. "We hope that the principle of sports will be upheld."
Vyacheslav Koloskov, the Russian Football Union (RFU) president emeritus, told TASS commenting on the filed appeal with the Swiss-based court that Russian football clubs officially voiced their disagreement with the previously handed verdict.
"The main point is that our clubs officially contested this decision, in other words they voiced their disagreement," Koloskov said. "Which outcome should be expected? Perhaps, it would not be in our favor."
Reached by a TASS correspondent on Friday, the UEFA press office said that it had been notified about Russian football clubs’ appeal in CAS.
"UEFA has been made aware that the clubs have filed appeals at CAS and will reply in due course to any procedural requests when invited by CAS to do so in the context of those proceedings," UEFA’s statement reads.
"Given the confidentiality of all proceedings before the CAS, UEFA cannot further comment at this stage," the statement added.
The press service of the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) announced on February 28 that the Russian national team and all professional clubs representing the country were barred from taking part in FIFA and UEFA tournaments.
On May 2, the press service of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) stated that the Russian national squad would not take part in the 2022/2023 UEFA Nations League tournament and in the UEFA Women’s 2022 UEFA final tournament, adding that the country would also have no professional clubs playing in the UEFA club competitions in the 2022/23 season. The country’s previous bids to host UEFA Euro Cups in 2028 and 2032 were cancelled as well.
On February 28, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments referring to Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine.
Following the IOC recommendations in late February, the majority of global sports federations decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.
