Russia and Guatemala match canceled, reason confirmed

Former coach of Nizhny Novgorod's "Lokomotiv" club, Valeriy Ovchinnikov, commented on Guatemala national team's decision not to hold a friendly match against Russia in March. This was reported by Zamin.uz.

The Guatemala Football Federation explained this decision by the existence of pre-arranged matches with other teams. This was reported by euro-football.ru.

According to Ovchinnikov, even though Guatemala has withdrawn from this match, the Russian national team can find another opponent. He did not rule out the possibility that political factors influenced this decision or that the Guatemala team is not ready to play against Russia.

He also noted that under the current circumstances, the most important task for Russian football players is to maintain regular playing practice and not lose the competition rhythm. According to initial information, in March, the Russian national team may hold a friendly match with Mali, one of the African representatives.

This match is expected to be an important experience for Russian football players.