“If there is no other way out, then it will be necessary to move to another confederation” – ex-player of the Russian national team Galyamin

Former defender of the Russian national team Dmitry Galyamin spoke about the shortcomings of the possible transition of the Russian Football Union (RFU) to the Asian Confederation.

The Executive Committee of the RFU will be held on Friday, December 23. One of the points of discussion will be the possible transition of the RFU to the Asian Confederation.

– How do you feel about the transition of the RFU to the AFC?

“I would have waited a year,” Galyamin quotes “Sport day after day.” “People who make this decision are more familiar with the situation. Probably, this question is not just raised, apparently, some consultations were held with representatives of FIFA and UEFA. That’s why it’s up for discussion.

– If the transition to the AFC is carried out, what about the logistics? After all, you will have to fly regularly to China, Australia, almost to the other side of the world.

– Such flights, of course, are not easy. Then you recover for a week. It’s one thing when a person just flies on vacation to these countries, and another thing is when he must be 100 percent ready to participate in the game. I don’t see anything good in this. If there is no other way out, then it will be necessary to move to another confederation and fly.

– The meeting of the RFU will be held five days after the end of the 2022 World Cup. Is there any influence of the successful performance of the Asian teams in Qatar on such an early meeting on this issue?

– This is fine. Not during the same World Cup to sit? Still, it’s a serious question. Most Asian players play in European championships. Some, yes, in their own, but there are not many of them. Therefore, I would not say that the level of football in Asia is the same as in Europe. Asian countries have invested a lot of money in football infrastructure. Perhaps in the future this will give a result, but at the moment neither the national teams nor the Asian championships fall short of Europe.