The Russian Football Union (RFU) may consider switching its football federation membership to Asia from Europe, Russian news agencies quoted RFU head Alexander Dyukov as saying yesterday.

“A few months ago I said that Asia was premature,” the RIA news agency quoted Dyukov as saying. “But now it is an opportunity that we should consider.”

Global and European football’s governing bodies, FIFA and UEFA, decided in February that all Russian teams, whether national or club sides, would be suspended from participation in FIFA and UEFA competitions after Moscow launched what it calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in July dismissed appeals filed by the RFU and four Russian clubs against FIFA and UEFA’s decision to ban them from all competition until further notice.

“I have not spoken to representatives from Asia yet because there is UEFA, they consider us a member of the European family,” Dyukov said. “It would be unseemly of us to start negotiations over their heads.”

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the sport’s governing body in Asia.