Former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev Shockingly Snubs Russian Teams Amidst International Ban for German Giants Bayern Munich

Russian tennis star and former world number one Daniil Medvedev is a soccer fan and supports a club outside his native nation Russia. The tennis star is a childhood fan of the German giants Bayern Munich and has been attending their games. 

It comes as a surprise for many Russian soccer fans. Russian soccer is under UEFA and FIFA sanctions after the country invaded Ukraine. The soccer governing bodies were strict and expelled Russian clubs and national teams from all their competitions since the invasion of Ukraine. 

Daniil Medvedev is a childhood Bayern Munich fan

Medvedev, back in 2021, while speaking to SPOX, revealed his love for soccer and the German club. He did support CSKA Moscow as a child, but the lack of European soccer meant he wanted to follow another club that is playing in the Champions League. 

“I really fell in love with soccer and with Bayern when I was maybe 12 years old. That’s when it really started. But even before that, when I was six years old, I remember that I already liked Bayern. They were really good at that time and I remember telling my parents that Bayern is playing, we need to watch it. But when I was 12, I really got into soccer, so I said to myself: I need a team now,” said the Russian tennis star in an interview with SPOX. 

The tennis star has been following Bayern Munich since then and watches every game of the club whenever possible. Medvedev is a fan of German player Mario Gomez and uses number 33 because Gomez used to wear the jersey number 33 at Bayern Munich. Other players from the Bayern team that Medvedev respected were Arjen Robben and Polish striker Robert Lewandowski. 

Medvedev follows Bayern closely and is vocal on social media to show his support for the Bavarians. 

UEFA’s ban on Russian clubs and national teams

After Russia invaded Ukraine, soccer governing bodies were quick to impose sanctions on the country. UEFA banned all Russian clubs from participating in European club competitions last year in February. 

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They further imposed the restrictions in May by banning the Women’s national team from EURO and the men’s national team from FIFA World Cup in Qatar. UEFA also banned the men’s team from participating in the UEFA Nations League. They ranked fourth in their group, resulting in their relegation.

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UEFA didn’t stop there. They also decided to refuse the bids of Russia to either host the 2028 or 2032 UEFA EURO because they invaded Ukraine. Let us know your thoughts on Medvedev supporting Bayern Munich. Also, share your opinions on the UEFA sanctions on Russia.