Eight teams are taking their cases to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland
Russian champions Zenit are among those involved. © Mike Kireev / NurPhoto via Getty Images
A host of Russian football clubs have reportedly begun a legal bid to reverse a controversial FIFA ruling which allows foreign players to unilaterally suspend their contracts until the summer of 2023 because of the conflict in Ukraine.
FIFA announced in June that it was extending a policy which it originally introduced at the end of last season.
The decision gives foreign playing and coaching staff the freedom to suspend their contracts at Russian clubs until June 30, 2023, without fear of reprisals.
The Russian football authorities have already said the ruling makes a mockery of contract agreements and is discriminatory.
According to RIA Novosti, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland has reigstered a legal appeal against FIFA by eight Russian teams.
The clubs are named as reigning Russian champions Zenit St. Petersburg, Moscow clubs Lokomotiv, Dynamo, and CSKA, as well as Sochi, Rostov, Krasnodar, and Rubin Kazan.
“Procedures started recently and are at an early stage,” the CAS press service told the outlet.
Russian teams are not the only ones angered by the FIFA decision, which also covers clubs in Ukraine.
Officials at Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk recently shared their outrage, claiming they have lost out on tens of millions of euros in potential transfer fees as rival clubs know they can swoop in and take their talent for free.
CAS also confirmed a legal bid from the Ukrainians, according to RIA, with Shakhtar CEO Sergei Palkin previously revealing that they would seek €50 million ($51 million) in compensation.
Russian teams remain banned from all FIFA and UEFA competitions following the onset of the military campaign in Ukraine.
That meant the Russian men’s national team missed out on the opportunity to qualify for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, while the women’s team were removed from the recent European Championships in England.
The Russian Football Union (RFU) and several Russian teams lost their legal bids with CAS to reverse those bans, with a verdict being announced last month.
Russian officials responded by saying they could yet turn to the Swiss Federal Supreme Court to resolve the case.
