The governing body for Russian soccer launched a bid on Wednesday to host UEFA's European Championships, despite being suspended by the organization, along with FIFA, from competing in international competitions a month ago.
Axios reported that on Wednesday, the Russian Football Union's executive committee decided to "support the decision to declare interest" in hosting the tournaments for both 2028 and 2032.
Many sports organizations have come out against Russia in instances of either bans or boycotts in light of the country's invasion of Ukraine. Teams such as Poland, Sweden, and the Czech Republic have stated they would not play Russia in upcoming World Cup qualifier matches.
Still, it is unclear at this time what sporting events Russia will or will not host in the future.
After Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, the country went on to host the 2018 World Cup.
In light of recent events, however, Russia, which was slated to host the 2022 UEFA Champions League Final, will be pushed aside. Instead, France will host.
However, The Guardian reported on Wednesday that Russia intends to challenge the UEFA and FIFA suspensions in court arbitration. Additionally, UEFA has also signaled that Russia's chance of hosting could change depending on how they proceed in the organization's bidding process.
RFU president Alexander Dyukov told Russian TV on Wednesday that "we assume that Russia is already prepared to host large-scale competitions. We have the experience."
He added, "We must take the opportunity to host the Euro."
Dyukov is one of the sitting members of the UEFA executive committee and is CEO of Russia's state-owned oil company, Gazprom, a sponsor of the UEFA Champions League. But Gazprom was later dropped as a sponsor after the war in Ukraine started.
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