MOSCOW • When a Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) football team played at Euro 1992 in place of the former Soviet Union, they wore bland shirts with no badge and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony replaced their national anthem.
A lacklustre performance ensued, culminating in a 3-0 loss to already-eliminated Scotland, and they finished bottom of their group.
This was in stark contrast to the previous year when they had qualified unbeaten, still playing as the Soviet Union - which was disbanded in December 1991.
Some reports at the time suggested the failure was psychological as the absence of their flag and national anthem left the team feeling they did not have an identity.
It raises the question as to whether the same thing could happen to Russia if they qualify for the 2022 World Cup.
The country was banned from taking part in or hosting major sporting events, including the Tokyo Olympics and World Cup, for four years last Monday because of World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) sanctions.
Yet there was a caveat - federations such as Fifa could allow Russia to compete on a neutral basis, without flying their flag or playing the national anthem, providing the athletes can prove they are clean.
This would open the door to a Russian team in some guise playing at Qatar 2022.
The intricacies of the Wada decision also mean Russia can take part in World Cup qualifiers, and host Euro 2020 games and the 2021 Champions League final as these fall outside the scope of the ban.
For some critics, such as the United States Anti-Doping Agency, this merely allows the country to carry on as normal.
The anthem ban, however, could still hurt.
Researchers have studied players at Euro 2016 and in a study published in the European Journal of Sport Science, they concluded "teams that sang national anthems with greater passion went on to concede fewer goals."
They also found that in the knockout stage, "greater passion was associated with a greater likelihood of victory", with the Swiss, who sang with "low levels of passion", failing to make the last eight.
Jorge Leyva, chief executive of iNado, the umbrella organisation for national anti-doping agencies, also felt that denying Russia their flag, anthem and national team shirt would impact them at major events, even though he recognised that many athletes and fans wanted stronger penalties, including a blanket ban.
