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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Daniel Moxon

Rugby Football Union opposes FIFA plan to rename Russian football team 'RFU'

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) wrote to FIFA to ask it to reconsider its suggested change of name of the Russian football team, according to reports.

The RFU voiced its opposition to football's governing body after the FIFA Council issued the order that the Russian national team would play under the name 'Football Union of Russia ' – shortened to 'RFU'.

That order came as part of the initial sanctions from FIFA in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Other plans in the initial swathe of sanctions included ordering 'home' matches to be played at a neutral venue, and a ban on Russian flags and the national anthem at games.

After criticism that those measures did not go far enough, FIFA and UEFA released a joint-statement on Monday announcing that the national team and club teams based in Russia would not be allowed to play "until further notice".

The RFU voiced its concern that FIFA's planned name change for the Russian football team would lead to confusion (Getty Images)

It means Spartak Moscow's Europa League campaign is almost certainly over, while Russia's place at the World Cup later this year is also in severe doubt.

That news will be gratefully received by the RFU, which had written to FIFA to demand that the acronym of Russia's newly adopted name is changed to 'FUR' to avoid confusion or any links, the Telegraph reports.

The RFU's request and FIFA's subsequent action come in the wake of a request from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that all sports federations ban Russian and Belarussian athletes while war rages on in Ukraine.

"The current war in Ukraine puts the Olympic Movement in a dilemma," the body said in a statement.

"While athletes from Russia and Belarus would be able to continue to participate in sports events, many athletes from Ukraine are prevented from doing so because of the attack on their country.

"This is a dilemma which cannot be solved. The IOC EB has therefore today carefully considered the situation and, with a heavy heart, issued the following resolution.

"In order to protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the safety of all the participants, the IOC EB recommends that International Sports Federations and sports event organisers not invite or allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials in international competitions."

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