MOSCOW, June 4 (Sputnik) - Russian Deputy Prime Minister and Russian Football Union executive committee member Vitaly Mutko said on Monday that naturalization of foreign players was "not Russia’s way" of building the national team.
On Sunday, Brazilian-born CSKA Moscow defender Mario Fernandes, who obtained Russian citizenship in 2016, was named in Russia's final squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
"Building the national team through naturalization [of foreign players] is not Russia’s way. The requirements are the same for every player. If you meet them, you are in the team. Mario [Fernandes] is playing [well], and he is in the national team... We won’t call up a person only because he has [Russian] passport. The head coach is responsible for everything,” Mutko told journalists.
Fernandes had been capped once for Brazil before becoming a Russian citizen and making four international appearances for his new country since 2017, including the 1-0 friendly defeat by Austria on Wednesday.
Russia will host its first-ever World Cup from June 14 to July 15, with the hosts set to face Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Uruguay in Group A.
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