FIFA-banned Russia announces friendly match against Super Eagles

The Russian Football Union (RFU) says the country’s men’s national team will take on the Super Eagles of Nigeria in an international friendly on June 6.

RFU announced the fixture in a statement on its website on Thursday.

The match is scheduled to be played in Russia, but the time and venue are still undecided.

Russia will play two other friendly matches. The team takes on Zambia in March before facing Belarus on June 10.

RFU said it “reached agreements” with the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) and the two other national football bodies to arrange the friendly matches.

However, Russia was banned from football by FIFA and UEFA in 2022 following the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

The decision suspended all Russian national teams and clubs from participating in FIFA and UEFA competitions.

But in 2023, the world football governing body relaxed the sanction to allow Russian U-17 national teams to compete in international competitions.

The youth teams are to play under the name of the ‘Football Union of Russia’ rather than Russia, in the absence of their national flag, national anthem, national-team kit and equipment, and instead playing in neutral colours.

Despite the ban, the Russian men’s national team have been playing non-FIFA-sanctioned friendly matches against non-western countries.

NFF is yet to issue an official statement about its true position on the friendly announcement by the Russian FA. If the match becomes official, it will be the first game between Nigeria and Russia at the senior level of international football.