Sanctions are not a hindrance to referees: UEFA left nine referees from Russia in the elite category

The UEFA Referee Committee named the referees who entered the elite group for the second part of the 2022/23 season, and there was a place for the Russians.

UEFA has updated the list of referees who are planned to be used by the organization in the second part of the season, it mentions a number of Russians. So among the 30 elite referees is Sergey Karasev, who officiated the matches of the European Championship 2021, the World Cup 2018 and the match for the European Super Cup 2021.

Sergei Ivanov was in the first group. The second group is the most numerous - Pavel Shadykhanov, Artem Lyubimov, Vladimir Moskalev, Vitaly Meshkov, Kirill Levnikov, Evgeny Kukulyaka, Vladislav Bezborodkov.

It is worth noting that the presence of Russian referees on the UEFA lists means nothing for their employment, since due to Russia's military invasion of the territory of Ukraine and sanctions imposed by UEFA, they are not assigned to matches held under the auspices of this organization.

But at the same time, it remains unclear why Russian judges, despite the sanctions, continue to be in the elite of European refereeing.