The head of UEFA spoke about the desire to soften restrictions for youth teams from Russia

The head of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), Alexander Čeferin, announced his desire to ease restrictions on participation in competitions for youth teams from Russia. The remaining Russian teams and clubs will return to tournaments only after the cessation of hostilities in Ukraine, he said in an interview The Telegraph.

According to the newspaper, Mr Ceferin would like to ease restrictions on young Russian football players to “try to avoid brainwashing children” and not punish them for something that is not their fault. The head of the union made a similar proposal to soften the UEFA policy regarding youth teams last year, but it was thwarted due to criticism.

Aleksander Čeferin added that the ban on adult athletes will be maintained until the end of the military operation. In this way, he said, it will be possible to prevent clashes between fans at football matches. He recalled that at the European Championships in 2016, several mass fights occurred between fans from Russia and England.

UEFA suspended Russia from participation in international competitions in February 2022 after the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine. In September 2023, the union announced that it had authorized admission to competitions under its auspices for all Russian football teams playing in the U-17 category, that is, for players no older than 17 years old.

More details in the text “Kommersant” “Under 17, no older”.

Petr Buzlaev