The Russian Football Union (RFU) Secretary General Maxim Mitrofanov said that UEFA would like to see Russian football teams play at the international level despite pressure on the organization to keep them out.
"UEFA blocked the participation of our national teams and clubs from international competition, but a similar move was made by the International Football Federation (FIFA), therefore the participation of the RFU in official matches was blocked globally and not just in Europe. A change of the confederation would not open the FIFA block as it is not the Golden Key that guarantees opening the door to official competitions," Maxim Mitrofanov said.
The official noted the dialogue is underway on Russia's possible return.
UEFA's position
According to him, president of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Alexander Ceferin has a positive attitude towards Russia and wants the country to remain a member of the European football organization.
"I have spoken with Ceferin and his stance is as follows - 'I don’t want to let Russia go; this is the last thing that I want to do. He has a positive and warm attitude towards Russia," Maxim Mitrofanov said.
FIFA's position
The RFU Secretary General noted that the International Association of Football Federations (FIFA) is staying neutral regarding the return of Russian football teams to international play.
"How does FIFA regard Russia’s return? They are holding a neutral stance, basically they believe everyone should play, particularly Russia, which is a huge football power and recently hosted the [2018 FIFA] World Cup," Maxim Mitrofanov said.
"However, FIFA does not want to be the organization to make a final decision saying ‘You should come to an agreement, we will give our consent, but it is wrong for us to interfere into your system of interaction’," he continued.
He noted that as long as FIFA stays neutral, it won’t face a lot of pressure, but as soon as it becomes proactive they will turn up the heat, Sport-Express daily reported.
