Roman Pavlyuchenko called the tournament in Asia a “good shake-up” for the players of the Russian national team

Former striker of the Russian national team Roman Pavlyuchenko appreciated the need for the participation of the national team in the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) championship.

Earlier, the press secretary of the Football Federation of Tajikistan, Faridun Saliev, told Match TV about the participation of the Russian national team in the tournament. All six members of the Football Association – Tajikistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan – have confirmed participation in the CAFA‑2023 championship among national teams. CAFA also invited one of the Asian teams to participate in the new tournament.

— I positively perceive the news about the participation of the Russian team in the championship of the Football Association of Central Asia. It is clear that the opponents are not the most famous, but it’s better than not playing at all. This tournament will in any case have a more important status for the players than the usual friendly matches. The first trophy in the history of the national team? It’s not a fact that we will beat Iran, ”RB Sport” quotes Pavlyuchenko.

The CAFA Championship will take place from 9 to 21 June 2023.