Russophobia in world sports has minimized the presence of Russian athletes at international competitions. A relatively calm situation has been observed in European football until recently. Our players continued to take to the field in the top championships, without any sanctions from UEFA they played in European competitions. But the situation is gradually changing – the contours of the unsightly present are already beginning to emerge. Now the Europeans, fighting everything Russian, are starting to punish other Europeans.

The Poles aimed at the Russians, the Israeli team suffered.

Dear guest won’t come

In the match of the third round of the group stage of the UEFA Conference League, which will be held on October 6, the Polish “Lech” will host the Israeli “Hapoel” in Poznan. It is extremely important for guests in this meeting to catch points in order to maintain real chances of reaching the next stage of the tournament. After two rounds, the team has only one point in the piggy bank, which they managed to take in the away match with Austria.

Even before the trip to Poland, it became known that the team from Beer Sheva would have personnel difficulties. The Israelis will set out without one of the attack leaders. According to the Sports Walla portal, we are talking about the Russian football player Shapi Suleymanov, who managed to score two goals in the new team, and scored an assist in the European Cup qualification. Hapoel’s most expensive (according to Transfermarkt) player is healthy and hasn’t gone through mustard plasters. The reason for his absence in the application should be sought exclusively in the political plane.

In September, Poland introduced an entry ban for Russian citizens. Since Shapi has no other citizenship, it is problematic for him to somehow get around the restrictions. With a high degree of probability, Suleymanov will not come to Poznan and will not be able to help his team in the most important meeting of the group stage.

Consequences for Europeans

Some Russian hockey players of the NHL clubs, who were refused to issue visas by the Czech authorities, may find themselves in a similar situation. The situation has not yet been finally resolved, but there are still high chances for an outcome acceptable to our compatriots. The National Hockey League is putting pressure on the Czechs, threatening to delete the Prague stage of the European tour from the calendar, and, quite possibly, will push through its conditions. But the possibilities of a separate Israeli club are not so great as to force the Polish government to make an exception.

So far, our citizens are limited in movement only by individual Eastern European countries, but there is no guarantee that the story will not continue. A high degree of Russophobia, affecting not only the national team and clubs, but also any representatives of foreign teams with Russian passports, risks turning into unpleasant consequences for the Europeans themselves.

The list of victims may well not be limited to one Israeli team. You should not think that Monaco will be delighted due to the absence of Alexander Golovin in the application for an important European Cup match. It will not be easy on the road without his mentor Stanislav Cherchesov to Ferencvaros. Yes, and all other clubs that have already sheltered or plan to get the Russians will have to put up with the whims of individual states. In theory, UEFA could fight discrimination following the example of the NHL, but there are big doubts that Aleksander Čeferin’s department has such a desire.