Former Zenit striker and Russian national team player Andrey Arshavin speculated on when Russian clubs will be able to participate in European competitions again.
“It has already been stated that Russian clubs will return to European competitions when the Special Military Operation ends. Do I have any guesses about what year this will happen? I have no guesses,” Arshavin is quoted by “RB Sport”.
Russian teams have been suspended from participating in FIFA and UEFA-sanctioned competitions since 2022. In the latest edition of European competitions with Russian clubs, Spartak reached the Round of 16 of the 2021/22 Europa League, where they were supposed to play against Leipzig, but the matches were cancelled due to the suspension.
In September 2023, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin stated that Russian clubs and national teams will only return to competitions after the end of the SMO.