Russian MFA accuses UK of discrimination following Russian footballer's visa denial

The Russian Foreign Ministry has commented on an incident regarding a Russian professional football player being denied a British visa for competing in a match of the "Conference League" tournament in Scotland.

As reported by Sportexpress, the official Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Maria Zakharova said "How can you assess the non-admission of a Russian citizen to Scotland? As discrimination and the destruction of world sports", remarking on the refusal to issue a visa to Russian Magomed Ozdoev, who plays for the Greek POAK football club.

His club is going to compete against the Scottish "Hearts" football club as part of the Conference League tournament, however without the midfielder. 

He was playing for the Turkish Fatih Karagümrük FC in the 2022-2023 season, performing in 34 games and scoring 5 goals for them. The Greek PAOK announced the signing of a contract with the Chechen player on August 7, debuting in the club's match against Croatia's "Hajduk Split".