One rule for one? Everyone isn't playing ball with a ban on Russian national team

Uefa Congress takes place in Belgrade next week, and it is being seen as an unusually sedate agenda, which could be quite a contrast to some of the discussions in the corridors.

- MIGUEL DELANEY

"Moves are currently happening to get Russia back into football," one senior source tells The Independent. There are elevated football figures who would "have them back tomorrow". While Russia is said to still have considerable influence on the game, part of this push is simply about politics. Some believe the country should never have been thrown out in the first place. Internal pressure is growing.

Uefa and Fifa are also facing much more external pressure about another issue, which is being discussed with the Russian precedent in mind. That is the proposed suspension of Israel following a move by the Palestine Football Association that the Asian Football Confederation has backed. The PFA said at least 92 Palestinian players have been killed in the war, football infrastructure has been destroyed, its leagues suspended, and its national team required to play World Cup qualifiers abroad.

Human Rights Watch has meanwhile written to Fifa about the Israel Football Association organising football activities in settlements on occupied land, which would go against the governing body's statutes, which state "member associations and their clubs may not play on the territory of another member association without the latter's approval".

Fifa has been criticised for constantly putting the issue off, which has fed into the growth of a supporter movement called "show Israel the red card". Demonstrations have so far taken place in Italy, Spain, France, Greece, Scotland, Ireland, Turkey and Malaysia calling for a "direct message" to Uefa and Fifa to "apply their respective statutes and suspend Israel from competition".

Protestors might find they are sending such messages to the wrong place, highlighting the complicated discussion of how international suspensions work - and why nothing is likely to change in any of these cases soon.