Four clubs in the Russian Premier League, including champion Zenit St Petersburg, said on Friday they had lodged an appeal against the European Union’s decision to ban Russian clubs from participating in European competitions next season.
UEFA decided to ban Russian clubs from participating in club competitions for the 2022-2023 season, due to the Russian military operation in Ukraine.
Zenit said in a statement: “Zenit Saint Petersburg supports the Dinamo Moscow, Sochi and CSKA Moscow clubs in this action to appeal against the UEFA decision, and respectfully requests that this appeal be dealt with expeditiously by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”
The Lausanne-based court did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and UEFA’s decision prompted Nike to terminate its sponsorship contract with Spartak Moscow.
Russia entered tens of thousands of military forces into Ukraine on February 24, in what it described as a special operation aimed at weakening the military forces of its neighbor.
