Cas upholds Fifa ban on Russian teams while court deliberates

Decision comes after Cas backed Uefa’s ban on Russian teams competing in Europe

Cas has rejected Russian football’s request to suspend it’s Fifa ban while the court deliberates. Photograph:  Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images
Cas has rejected Russian football’s request to suspend it’s Fifa ban while the court deliberates. Photograph: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) has rejected the request from the Russian Football Union (RFU) to freeze Fifa’s decision to suspend all Russian teams and clubs from its competitions while the Cas deliberates on the case.

Friday’s decision effectively prevents Russia from taking part in World Cup qualifying playoffs scheduled later this month as no hearing has been fixed yet.

Earlier this week, the Cas upheld Uefa’s ban on Russian teams taking part in its competitions for the duration of its proceedings.