With the world approaching the one-year mark since the start of the Russian war in Ukraine, on Saturday, at the famous Naghsh-e-Jahan Stadium in Isfahan, local side Sepahan hosted Russian giants Zenit Saint Petersburg, for a friendly match in front of tens of thousands of passionate fans.
But why is this interesting? And how can a friendly in Isfahan emphasise a geopolitical revolution transcending the Russia-Ukraine war?
Russia 🇷🇺 and Iran 🇮🇷 warm up relations, the football version: Despite the initiative to join the AFC has been put on hold for #Russia, during the weekend Zenit St. Petersburg travelled to #Iran and played a friendly match v Sepahan. This was the teaser.> pic.twitter.com/D9qHyN3xgD
— Uri Levy (@Levyninho) February 19, 2023
Moving East
With its separation and disconnection from the global sports organisations - such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and FIFA - Russia has been exploring opportunities to break its football isolation.
A few days after the Russian army invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Russia was banned from FIFA and UEFA competitions. They were pulled out immediately from the World Cup qualifiers, and an invisible, but sensible, wall was stretched between Russian football and the world game.
For a good few months in 2022, and part of 2023, the Russian Federation looked into leaving UEFA, eyeing a possible move to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in search of some sort of international football.
While the implications and outcomes of such a move are still being questioned and analysed by the country’s executive committee, some geopolitical developments have pushed parts of Russian football eastward.
While the West has practically shut the doors on Russia in terms of international relations, the country that spans two continents has become ever closer with the East - countries such as China, Syria, and Iran.
And recently it has been reported that Russia has become the largest foreign investor in a country that is not so popular with the West - Iran. According to reports, the Russians surpassed China regarding investment in the Iranian economy.
🇷🇺 The Russian Football Union will not make a decision on its possible resignation from UEFA & accession to AFC today, according to @championat.
— The Sweeper (@SweeperPod) December 30, 2022
This is the second time a decision on the matter has been deferred, following UEFA's suspension of Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/rjPdQbNx6n
Eyeing up the AFC
Even though the initiative to join the AFC has been put on hold for Russia, Zenit travelled to Iran for a friendly match against Sepahan.
It was heavily promoted, adding a flavour of a diplomatic visit to one of Russia's biggest clubs playing in Isfahan.
The stadium was packed with Sepahan faithfuls who saw their team beat the 2008 UEFA Cup winners 2-0, with goals from Mohammad Ghorbani and Mohammed Daneshgar.
But interestingly enough, football wasn't the only issue keeping the fans busy.
During the match, a group of Sepahan fans waved the Ukrainian flag in the stands while singing Mahsa Amini protest songs - a strong reaction to the visit of the Russian’s, and a part of the resistance movement that has evolved in Iran in recent months.
It’s clear that, despite Russia getting closer to Iran, some are strongly against it. With the country's current public unrest so high, a Russian visit symbolises a step away from freedom.
While one of the main arguments criticising Russia's attempts to move to Asian football claimed it is only an excuse to return to international football and enjoy an easy path to the World Cup, this friendly was a hint to the fact that life in Asia might not be that easy as many have thought.
And, as the one-year mark to the war in Ukraine nears, this friendly was a big hint to where the geopolitical winds are blowing, as Russia remains detached from the main stages on both the football field, and in major international organisations.
Edited by Alex Smith
امروز در اصفهان مردم کمر جمهوری اسلامی را شکستند:
— Hamed Mohammadi (@HaamedMohammadi) February 17, 2023
هواداران #سپاهان با پرچم اوکراین تیمشان را مقابل تیم زنیت روسیه تشویق کردند.#مهسا_امینی pic.twitter.com/oPhISHZbMM
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