Russian U17 women's team play international in Bangladesh despite ban

DHAKA : Russia's under-17 women's team beat Bangladesh 3-0 in Dhaka on Wednesday despite an ongoing FIFA and UEFA ban aimed at isolating the country from international football because of the invasion of Ukraine.

The Russians are a guest team at the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) under-17 championship, an invitation that fuelled speculation that the Russian Football Union (RFU) might be looking to make a switch to the Asian Football Confederation.

Russian teams have been suspended from European and FIFA competitions since Moscow launched what it called a "special military operation" in Ukraine last February.

A move to the AFC was touted by RFU chief Aleksander Dyukov last November as a possible option to allow the Russian national team and clubs to return to international competition.

On Wednesday, there was little out of the ordinary in the build-up to the match, with the Russian anthem being played out loud at the Kamalapur Stadium before the match kicked off in front of a sparse crowd.

The handful of Russian spectators in attendance held up Russian flags and chanted loudly, as Russia eased to victory with a dominant performance.

"We are very proud that our team has won, Bangladesh also fought very well. These footballers are not responsible for the war, they should not be banned from UEFA and FIFA," Russian fan Olga said.

Russia's women's team are ranked 26th in the world, while Bangladesh are 140th, and the chasm in quality between the two under-17 sides was evident from the whistle as Elena Golik put Russia ahead with a side-footed finish in the fifth minute.

Golik scored a second on the cusp of halftime before a second-half strike from Anastasia Karataeva wrapped up the win for Russia. They will also play matches