Following today’s news (March 24) that Russia is likely to submit a bid to host soccer’s UEFA European Championship in either 2028 or 2032;

Conrad Wiacek, Head of Sport Analysis at GloblalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view:

“Russia has either seemingly failed to grasp the scale of its international sporting isolation, or it is deliberately provoking sports authorities by suggesting it will be submitting a bid to host the UEFA European Championships in either 2028 or 2032. Having seen over 30 sporting events that were due to take place in Russia over the next three years already cancelled, Russia’s governing bodies seem to be trying to use the showpiece European sporting event to ‘sport wash’ their international image.

“However, with support most likely to be non-existent among UEFA member nations, the bid has no chance of success. With the UEFA threatening even further sanctions should a bid be submitted, and having terminated its $120 million deal with Russian natural gas giant Gazprom, the next decade will likely see Russia’s sporting isolation deepen should it continue to provoke sport’s governing bodies in this time of crisis.”