Russia find a way to keep football alive despite FIFA and UEFA ban

KOLKATA: “Personally, it’s very hard on any footballer,” Russia defender Veronika Kuropatkina said in broken English after asking her team interpreter to let her answer STOI's questions on her own.The Zenit St Petersburg player, happy to be in India for the first time, is here for the two international women's friendlies, the second of which will be played at Kishore Bharati Krirangan here on Sunday.It’s one of the rare international appearances for the Russians in an unofficial international friendly, with the country banned by FIFA and UEFA since Feb 2022, a fallout of Russia’s war on Ukraine.“The situation, it’s hard on every one of us. And it’s not just about football, it’s about life,” said the centre back and a backbone of the Russian defence.They, however, have regular leagues and championships to keep plying their trade and getting match practice, a vital reason for their superiority in the first match on Thursday against the Indians, who last played a competitive game in June.And Russia head coach Yuri Krasnozhan was glad that he still gets the chance to scout for and keep strengthening his squad, despite the lack of international competition.“You know, football exists in countries not only with the aim of participating in some international competitions. But there’s the aim to develop it in the country,” Krasnozhan explained to STOI in an exclusive chat.“And women’s football in Russia has been developing so fast in the last eight or 10 years despite everything. I can’t compare it with any other sport in the country but the improvement in football is very high,” he continued.“Of course, we feel the lack of official international games. But, on the other hand, we can try new talents and bring some young players to the national team. Playing international games would surely increase the players’ experience. But now we have the opportunity to develop our young talents.”The visitors, here with a younger squad, showed that quality on the pitch in their 4-0 win despite having had just one training session in India and playing in conditions vastly different from those in Russia.India coach Crispin Chettri also used the opportunity to give the younger Indian players exposure to international football and had as many as six debutants in the game and his goal on Sunday is to see his team extend the quality it showed in the opening 40 minutes and convert the chances that come their way.For the Russians, however, it’s another international sojourn that won’t be counted in FIFA records, no matter how well the world No. 27 perform on the field.“We have the championship, and we play together and we play between ourselves. But all of us want to come back to international matches,” continued 27-year-old Veronika in her broken English.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.