“Now we need to understand how to do this technically” – Kommersant FM

Russian football clubs and the national team will be able to return to competitions under the auspices of UEFA only when the military operation in Ukraine ends. This was reported on the website of the European Football Association. However, young football players will have access to international tournaments this season. For details, see Kommersant FM sports commentator Vladimir Osipov.

In the near future, all teams with players under 17 years old will have the opportunity to participate in international tournaments. Of course, matches of Russian national teams will be held without the country’s flag, anthem, national playing uniform and not on Russian territory. UEFA emphasizes this. But, despite the subtleties, the decision of the officials should be taken as the first step towards the return of all our football, says coach Andrei Talalaev:

“This is positive and a step forward. And the guys must immediately show with the results that we will go further. After some time there will be a second and a third step, and we will return and play with our tricolor, with the anthem that the whole world knows.”

There are just some nuances. Now we need to understand how to do this technically. After all, the executive committee of the organization, which met in Cyprus, of course, made a decision, but did not specify how to integrate the teams into those tournaments where the draw had already been held. But if this problem can be solved, then what to do with the attitude towards our football players in the countries where they will play is not entirely clear. And this could become a problem, says the former owner of Spartak, businessman Andrei Chervichenko:

“How can we play in the Baltics or in Poland? There are countries to which we basically cannot fly. How will we go to Denmark, for example? This is an absolutely Russophobic country. And I don’t know how to solve this problem. The everyday aspects of this issue are also very important.”

And the fact that UEFA’s decision to allow juniors into international football will definitely not suit a number of countries can already be said now. The head of the RFU, Alexander Dyukov, has more than once spoken openly about disagreements with the countries of the Old World:

“Ideologically, we really disagree with Europe. Politics comes first there, football comes second. Today they are not satisfied with this situation, tomorrow, accordingly, they will ask questions about human rights. The day after tomorrow it will turn out that we do not support the LGBT movement energetically enough.”

Fortunately, the new UEFA release modestly kept silent about the LGBT movement, but officially stated that the participation of professional clubs in European cups, as well as the main national team of our country in the European Championships, is possible only after the end of a special military operation. Representatives of FIFA have not yet spoken on this matter, but even if hostilities end in the foreseeable future, fans of our national team should not count on participation in the next World Cup, football manager Yuri Belous is sure:

“The World Championship will be held in the USA, Canada, Mexico. We won’t get a visa there. Relax, but we need to prepare for 2030.”

So for now we will support the U17 teams. At the very least, football fans will have the opportunity to see on the international stage those who could already become stars by 2030. It’s still unclear where the World Cup will take place, where the Russian team seems to have a chance to play. Otherwise, Ukraine appears among the contenders, either jokingly or seriously. So it’s better not to rush to conclusions and wait until the main condition of the football officials is fulfilled.

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