Russia and Guatemala match canceled: what are the reasons?

Former coach of Nizhny Novgorod's "Lokomotiv" club, Valeriy Ovchinnikov, commented on Guatemala's national team's refusal to hold a friendly match against Russia in March. This was reported by Zamin.uz.

The leadership of Guatemalan football explained this decision by stating that there were previously agreed plans with other teams. This news was published by the euro-football.ru website.

According to Ovchinnikov, even though Guatemala canceled the match, Russia will be able to find another opponent. He emphasized that the political situation might have an influence in this case or that Guatemalan players are not ready to play against Russia.

His views were cited by the Betonmobile publication. Additionally, Ovchinnikov believes that nowadays, regardless of whom the Russian national team plays against, it is very important to maintain match practice and keep the sporting spirit on the field.

According to initial information, Russia may hold a friendly match in March against the national team of an African country – Mali.