“It is not by chance that the Executive Committee of the RFU again postponed the decision on the issue of moving to the AFC” – Gadzhiev

The former head coach of Krylia Sovetov and Anji Gadzhi Gadzhiev told Vprognoze.ru that he considers the issue of a possible transition of the Russian Football Union (RFU) to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) difficult.

RFU President Alexander Dyukov said last week that the final decision on a possible transfer to the AFC would be made on December 27. Until the 31st, the RFU has time to apply for entry so that the Russian team has time to take part in the 2026 World Cup qualification. Later it became known that the voting of the executive committee of the RFU on this issue was postponed again and should take place before the end of the year.

– I do not expect the participation of Russian clubs in European competitions, not only in 2023, but also in the next couple of years. As for Asia, the question is complex. It is no coincidence that the Executive Committee of the RFU again postponed the decision on this matter. This is due to the fact that many of the nuances of the transition from UEFA to the Asian Confederation are not well understood. Although there were similar precedents, Kazakhstan, on the contrary, was moving from Asia to Europe. Koloskov explained that this is a rather lengthy procedure. Therefore, internationally, expectations for 2023 are vague. But I still think it’s better if our teams and clubs play. When this will become possible in Europe is unknown. And if in Asia they give the right to participate in the qualifying games for the World Cup, then you need to use it,” Hajiyev said.