FIFA to Allow Foreign Players in Russia to Break Contracts

Having decided that Russian teams will not be able to play international football indefinitely due to the country’s invasion of Ukraine, football’s governing body now plans to announce that foreign players contracted with Russian teams will be able to suspend their contracts and move elsewhere, at least temporarily.

The decision will affect around 100 players who can cancel their Russian contracts and sign with new clubs by June 30. The action doesn’t stop as demanded by player-representing groups and world leagues. In a joint letter reviewed by The New York Times, the largest players association, FIFPro, and the World Leagues Forum, an umbrella organization covering more than 40 competitions, have asked FIFA, football’s global governing body, to allow athletes to leave Russia. permanently.

The demand created an awkward situation for FIFA. The organization broke precedent when it moved to punish Russia for its actions in Ukraine, including by blocking the Russian national team’s World Cup qualifying matches this year, but allowing players to break their contracts, especially outside of football’s traditional winter and summer windows, is potentially very is more problematic.

In the weekend meetings between the governing body of European football, UEFA and FIFA, which includes the lawyers of the club representatives, and the player groups, it was said that the authorities were worried about setting a precedent. Instead, FIFA decided that players wishing to leave Russian teams can do so but must return after 30 June.

An official statement could come by Monday. In their letters, FIFPro and the leagues group suggested that after the invasion of Ukraine, some players were no longer comfortable playing for Russian teams.

“These foreign players can justifiably consider that they no longer want to represent a Russian team, and should be able to immediately terminate their contracts with their employers without incurring any sanctions from international organisations, and be able to register for a new club without restriction. According to the transfer period regulation, it was said.

According to local rules, Russian clubs can have up to eight foreign players, known as legionnaires, in their squads. The current Russian champion is Zenit St. Petersburg’s roster includes five Brazilians, one Colombian, one Croatian and one Kazakhstani.

At least one club, Krasnodar, announced last week that it will allow their foreign players and coaches to suspend their contracts. Former manager of English Premier League club Norwich, German manager Daniel Farke, resigned less than two months after his contract without watching a single game. But the foreign players continued to prepare for the Russian teams in the final round of the weekend domestic league matches.

Russia’s declaration of war revealed the loopholes in the statutes of sports organizations such as FIFA. After the invasion began and was condemned worldwide, FIFA lawyers and officials scrambled to find a way to take action that could be justified under its regulations. At first, the authorities proposed measures that would stand aside from an outright ban: Russia would be banned from playing on its territory and be banned from using its flag and even its name. But that penalty was settled within 24 hours, when Russia’s rivals – and about a dozen other countries – announced that they would refuse to share a field with Russia no matter where and whenever they played.

A day later, FIFA expelled Russian teams and clubs from world football. But his lawyers are already preparing to fight over the decision. The Russian football federation has called for an expedited hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport for a decision to be made before Poland will host the World Cup qualifiers on March 24.

Russia argued that FIFA had no legal basis to exclude him from the competition.

FIFA officials are particularly concerned about the case, knowing that Russia could test the legitimacy of the decision. FIFA’s argument is expected to be based on the organization’s preeminence as World Cup organizer in order to have a smoothly functioning tournament and ensure the safety and security of its participants.

Russia has already appealed to potential arbitrators for the case. (Both parties may appoint one, with the chairman of the arbitral tribunal appointed by the court.) The hearing, regardless of its outcome, will lead to a re-examination of the court; hearings behind closed doors.