Artyom Dzyuba says he has declined the national team’s call-up due to family reasons and not because of any political issue. The Russian refused to join the Russian National Football Team without giving any reason. The 33-year-old has relatives in Ukraine.
Manager Valery Karpin suggested that his team’s captain refused to play for them due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, Dzyuba has clarified that it was a misunderstanding.” It is to do with family matters, but I would rather not go into detail,” said Zenit St Petersburg striker Dzyuba to BBC Sport in an interview. He added that he wants to spend time with his family in these tough times and hence decided not to join the national team.
Russia’s all-time joint-leading scorer with 30 goals, asked not to be a part of his team’s training camping due to the situation in Ukraine.
Dzyuba is currently representing Zenit St Petersburg in the Russian Premier League. He has 15 goal involvements in 20 games this season with 10 goals and 5 assists. Zenit is currently at the top of the Russian Premier League table with 45 points from 21 games, 3 more points than second-placed FC Dynamo Moscow.
In light of the Ukraine crisis, Russian football clubs and national teams have been suspended from competitions throughout the world.
