UEFA Makes U-Turn On Decision To Re-admit Russia

The European football governing body, UEFA has made a U-Turn on their decision to reinstate Russian Under-17 teams into the forthcoming youth European Championships.

Recall that UEFA announced last month that it was looking for ways to reintegrate the under-17 teams of Russia into the global football system.

After a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, all Russian teams were barred from Uefa events.

UEFA claimed that boys and girls shouldn’t be penalized for the deeds of adults, as it attempted to integrate Russia’s under-17 teams into European competitions.

However, a good number of national FAs, including the Football Association of England, openly said that they would not play Russia if they are paired together in either the men’s championship in Cyprus later this year or the women’s competition in Sweden next year.

After a series of criticisms against such a move, the organization claimed that it would be logistically difficult to reintegrate Russia’s Under-17 teams.

Uefa spokesperson said, “No technical solution to allow Russian teams to play could be found,” adding that the “agenda point was withdrawn”.

In addition to banning Russia’s teams from competing in continental competitions, Uefa also revoked Russia’s hosting rights for the 2022 Champions League final and the 2023 Super Cup which were scheduled to be held in St. Petersburg and Kazan, respectively. It also terminated the sponsorship agreement with state-owned energy giant, Gazprom.