National team unrecognized by FIFA refused to play with Russia, expressing "regret"

Zanzibar's national team, which is not recognized by the International Football Federation (FIFA), has refused to play a match with Russia this year. The local association cited the fact that it does not have enough time to organize such a sparring match, adding that some of the players will be involved in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers as part of Tanzania.

This was stated by the president of the Zanzibar Football Federation Suleiman Jabir in a comment to the Sport24 portal. The official noted that the negotiations with the Russian Football Union (RFU) were quickly curtailed. However, the teams may play next year.

"Unfortunately, Zanzibar will not be able to play the Russian team in November. We had some discussions about organizing a friendly match between our teams but we will not be able to play this year due to a number of factors. Firstly, it is a temporary factor, and secondly, the Tanzanian national team will play a World Cup qualifier on the same dates, and we have several important players who are part of this team. A friendly match with the Russian national team is possible next year. The decision is up to the Russian Federation," Jabir said.

As a reminder, it became known that on November 20, the Russian national team will play a friendly match with the Cuban team, becoming a real laughingstock among its fans.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, former Russian national football player Konstantin Zyryanov expressed confidence that athletes from the aggressor country would be begged to play in international competitions after everything "ends with Russian victory" in Ukraine.

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