UEFA Ease Ban on Russia

In a controversial move, UEFA have decided to relent on the ban against Russia taking part in its competitions and allow the country to enter the Under-17s tournaments.

An Executive Committee meeting was held in Cyprus on Tuesday, 26 September, in which the board discussed the steps forward to lift the 18-month ban on the Russian male and female Under-17 teams.

“Children should not be punished for actions whose responsibility lies exclusively with adults, and [we are] firmly convinced that football should never give up sending messages of peace and hope,” the European football governing body said in a statement released to the media shortly after the meeting.

“It is particularly aggrieving that, due to the enduring conflict, a generation of minors is deprived of its right to compete in international football,” they added.

Russia has been banned from the European competition since February 2022, when the country launched an illegal invasion into their neighbours, Ukraine.

A spokesperson for the Football Association (FA) has already acknowledged the move to allow the youth teams to compete, and announced that they disagree with the decision. The FA has also declared that if England are drawn against Russia, the English side will refuse to play.

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