St. Petersburg, May 5, Sergey Yaremenko. The head coach of the St. Petersburg «Zenith» Sergey Semak said that Russian clubs and teams should play in Europe. On Monday, the executive committee of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) suspended Russian football and futsal clubs from European competitions for the 2022/23 season , and men's and women's football and futsal teams — from participation in European competitions. The application of the Russian Football Union for interest in hosting the European Championship in 2028 or 2032 was also rejected. «There are things that do not depend on us. Of course, it's sad and unpleasant. Not only Zenit should play in Europe, but also clubs, and national team. But we must focus on what depends on us. We must train and fulfill our obligations, «Semak said at a press conference. Earlier, the Sport-Express newspaper announced plans to create the Russian Premier League Cup as an alternative European cups. «I don’t understand how it will be from the point of view of organization, the calendar and the limit have not been approved. As soon as there are introductory, we will understand. Most likely, we will not be able to play in pauses for the national teams. Some clubs will have players from the national teams. There are many nuances, they will need to be addressed,» Semak added.
