July 15, 2022
The brief from today:
Russian ban continues
The Football Union of Russia (FUR) was banned, by both FIFA and UEFA, from all competitions earlier this year after the country’s invasion of Ukraine in February. The result of this ban has seen the Men’s national team unable to qualify for this year’s World Cup, and the Women’s team miss out on the Euros taking place presently. In addition to the national sides, Russian club teams have been barred from all UEFA competitions as well. In response to the ruling, appeals were filed with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which has been known to overturn various decisions in favor of the appellant—typically players and/or clubs. Today, however, CAS deemed the decisions made by FIFA and UEFA appropriate, and confirmed the bans. Russian clubs: Zenit St. Petersburg, Sochi, CSKA Moscow and Dynamo Moscow also lodged appeals to the UEFA sanctions, but those were also denied by CAS. The statements from the court confirmed the decisions by FIFA and UEFA were “within the scope of the discretion granted to them under their respective statutes and regulations”. That said, they also acknowledged that Russian teams and players aren’t directly at fault for the invasion, but due to the ongoing conflict, safety can’t be ensured for football events. As it stands, nothing short of a cessation of the war would be enough for Russian football, in any capacity, to take part in European and World football.
CAS with another big decision today
MLS teams dealing with Europe
MLS side, Chicago Fire, is currently working on finalizing the transfer of their goalkeeper, Gabriel Slonina, to Chelsea. Slonina, 19, has been catching the eye of some European clubs, but it seems that he’s on his way to the Premier League after agreeing personal terms with the West London side. Chelsea will now escalate matters by offering $10 million to Chicago for the official transfer, and if confirmed, will likely see the player stay on loan at his current side to increase his experience. Meanwhile, Toronto FC are shopping in Italy yet again. After acquiring Lorenzo Insigne and Domenico Criscito earlier in this transfer window, they have now agreed personal terms with free agent, Federico Bernardeschi. The winger’s contract with Juventus expired this summer, and he has been looking for his next destination, and it seems he has opted to join the burgeoning Italian contingent at the Canadian side. All that is left now is to sign the contracts after the verbal agreement was reached with the 28-year-old three time Serie A winner, and Italian international, who won the Euros last summer.
Fofana returning to Ivory Coast
Ivorian midfielder, Seko Fofana, has been in fine form for club side, Lens, since his move there in 2020. Prior to joining Lens, Fofana had spent the past few years bouncing around from Manchester City, who sent him out on loan twice to Fulham and Bastia, before he officially transferred to Udinese in Italy. After three seasons in Serie A, and flashes of brilliance without any consistency, he returned to his birth nation, France, to play for Lens. He has been a revelation since that move, repeatedly turning in dominant displays in matches, and even captaining the team. On the international front, Fofana had previously opted to play for his country of heritage, Ivory Coast, but last year asked that he not receive any call-ups because he wanted to give attention to his club career. It appears that has paid off for him because the 27-year-old was part of the Ligue 1 team of the year last season, and he also won the Marc Vivien Foe award commemorating the best African player in Ligue 1. Now, Fofana has decided to reunite with the Ivory Coast national team, and is expected to be part of the squad during the September international matches aiming to qualify for the 2023 AFCON. Fofana recently met with current national team coach, Jean-Louis Gasset, to discuss his commitment to the cause, and it appears that all parties are now on the same page.
Fofana and Ivory Coast reunite