'NO ISSUE' FOR AFC TO LET RUSSIA IN

Saudi Arabia to back move if ‘there’s benefit for Asia’, says Gulf kingdom’s sports minister

MANAMA – Saudi Arabia would not object to Russia joining the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), its sports minister said on Wednesday, as Russian officials search for ways to return to international competition.

Russian officials dangled the possibility of a move to Asia in December, following Russia’s ban from international competition by European governing body Uefa over the invasion of Ukraine.

Although the Russian Football Union (RFU) later called for a working group on resuming ties with Uefa, its chief Alexander Dyukov did not rule out seeking AFC membership at a later stage.

Speaking at the AFC Congress in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia’s Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal said he did not see a problem with Russia shifting allegiance to Asia.

“If Fifa and the AFC allow it and there’s a benefit for Asia, then I don’t think there’s a problem with that,” he told AFP.

Saudi football chief Yasser Almisehal, meanwhile, told Reuters: “It really needs a thorough study: What would that add to the continent? What kind of benefits would football in Asia have out of that move?”