The Vietnamese futsal team is set to clash with the RFU (Russian Football Federation) futsal team in the World Futsal Team Round of 16 in 2021. It’s natural to be curious about RFU and its origin. So, let’s dive into the details and discover the essence of RFU together.
What is RFU? Origins of RFU
RFU or RFS stands for the Russian Football Union, which is the governing body of football in Russia. Headquartered in Moscow, RFU oversees various football activities, including men’s football, women’s football, futsal, beach soccer, and the Paralympic national team.
At present, the RFU is led by Aleksandr Dyukov, who also serves as the CEO of Gazprom Neft. As a member of both the UEFA and FIFA, RFU also maintains relations with the International Olympic Committee.
The Journey: Formation and Growth of the Russian Football Federation
The All-Russian Football Federation (VFS) was established on January 19, 1912, and became a member of FIFA. With 52 affiliated organizations across the Russian Empire, VFS served as the governing body of football and organized international matches for the Russian Empire’s national football team between 1910 and 1914.
In 1934, the USSR Football Union took shape as the football division of the USSR. The organization’s name was aligned with the culture of Soviet gymnastics, as declared by the General Assembly of the Union on December 27, 1934. The Soviet football division joined FIFA in 1946 and UEFA in 1954. Later, it transformed into the Football Federation of the USSR.
Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the current RFU was established, inheriting the legacy of the former Soviet associations. In July 1992, the Russian football team emerged, achieving notable milestones in the sport.
RFU: The Story Behind the Abbreviation
The Russian team competes as RFU due to a specific reason. On December 9, 2019, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) imposed a four-year ban on Russian athletes, citing violations of the country’s anti-doping regulations. In response, Russia appealed to the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to seek a reduction in the sanction. After a year of deliberation, CAS reduced the ban, making it valid until the end of 2022 instead of 2023 as originally imposed.
Consequently, Russia is prohibited from hosting global sporting events, and its name, flag, and anthem cannot be present in major tournaments such as the 2020 Olympics, Paralympic Games, and the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022.
In light of these sanctions, Russian football teams are barred from competing in international tournaments until the end of 2022. As a result, the 11-man Russian football team will not participate in the 2022 World Cup, and the national team will be absent from the 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup.
However, the sanctions do not affect Russian athletes, who can still compete in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games as a neutral team, on the condition that they provide evidence of non-involvement in doping. Russian athletes will participate under the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) flag, representing their nation’s colors.
During this period, Russian football teams will compete under the RFU name in FIFA-organized tournaments. Thus, the RFU team has already appeared in several FIFA tournaments, including the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where Russian players represented the RFU team.
If the Russian men’s football team qualifies for the 2022 World Cup, they will compete as the RFU football team in the celebrated tournament held in Qatar, scheduled for the end of the year.
Now that you know all about RFU and its journey, let’s wish the Vietnamese Futsal Team success in their match against this opponent in the Round of 16 of the 2021 World Cup Finals. Stay tuned for more global sports news and live soccer updates from Zenith City News.
