Repercussions of sanctions on Russian football

Russia’s attack on Ukraine has exposed cracks in European soccer, endangering multimillion-dollar sponsorship deals, revenues and dreams. The sanctions will have a significant dent on the Russian Football Federation. 

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has led FIFA and UEFA to suspend Russia’s football national teams and clubs from all competitions including the highly anticipated Qatar World Cup 2022. It’s first and foremost, the loss of football players who must have wished to play and represent their country at the highest level but are no longer able to do so.

Although Russian clubs never made an impact in European leagues, home fans used to get the opportunity to see big clubs play in front of their eyes. The people of Russia will have limited football to witness as even the Premier League has shut its broadcast operations in the country. The wish to see the Champions League final in their country also vanished following the shifting of venue from St. Petersburg, Russia to France.

The absence of international fixtures in Russia due to the sanctions imposed is going to monetarily affect the Russian Football Federation in terms of gate revenue. 

The aftermath of the Russian attack on Ukraine has massively impacted the Russian entities that used to sponsor different European teams. Numerous Premier League clubs have cut sponsorship ties with the Russian companies. Renowned organizations from Russia associated with major sports leagues and teams will now have to settle for lesser-known clubs, or, more accurately, Russian domestic clubs. 

The engagement and exposure that these companies used to receive from popular European teams cannot be compared to what they will receive in the future.

The Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich also received sanctions from the UK government for alleged ties with the Russian President, Vladimir Putin amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

The Russian Football Federation along with the people and organizations affiliated with the football governing body of the country will continue to suffer until the invasion stops.