UEFA has decided on the return of Russian teams to their competitions. We are directly discriminating against them by banning their participation, says Ceferin

At a meeting in Limassol on Tuesday, UEFA decided on the return of Russian youth teams to their competitions. Football’s governing body officially confirmed this on its website. However, they are not allowed to operate with national symbols.

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, UEFA and FIFA were among the organisations that imposed sanctions on the aggressor of that war. In this case, it was a suspension from their competitions.

And that was in terms of both the national team and club level. UEFA has also cancelled its partnership with the Russian energy company Gazprom.

Now, however, everything is about to be different. In fact, at a meeting in Limassol on Tuesday, UEFA decided to return Russian youth teams to their competitions. As for the senior Russian clubs and national teams, they will remain out of the competitions for the duration of the war in Ukraine.

And what is the reason for this UEFA decision? According to the football governing body’s latest statement, children should not be punished for acts for which adults are primarily responsible.

“The executive committee has asked UEFA management to propose a technical solution that would allow the re-inclusion of Russian U17 teams (girls and boys) even if the draw has already taken place,” reads the aforementioned official statement.

In any case, UEFA added that even youth teams will not be allowed to play their matches on Russian territory, nor will they be allowed to use national symbols, flag or anthem.

Aleksander Ceferin, UEFA president, said that “by banning children from our competitions, we not only fail to recognise and respect their fundamental right to all-round development, but we directly discriminate against them”.

However, the English Football Association immediately responded by saying it would not allow Young Lions teams to play against their Russian counterparts.

Source: UEFA, ESPN