Ukraine has taken a stand against participating in tournaments involving Russian teams following UEFA’s announcement to reinstate Russia’s Under-17 sides in European competitions. In a statement released by the Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF), the organization urged UEFA to reconsider its decision and called upon other countries to refrain from playing against Russian teams.
UEFA had previously suspended all Russian teams – both national and club sides – from participation in its competitions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. However, on Tuesday, UEFA announced that it would allow the return of Russian U-17 sides to its competitions during the current season, stating that “children should not be punished for actions whose responsibility lies exclusively with adults.”
The UAF strongly condemned UEFA’s decision and called on the governing body to maintain its blanket ban on Russian teams. The UAF affirmed that it would not participate in any competitions involving Russian teams and urged other UEFA member associations to consider boycotting matches with Russian participation, should they be admitted.
The decision to reintroduce Russian teams into competitions during the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine was criticized as groundless and accused of tolerating Russia’s aggressive policies.
Several other countries also expressed their opposition to UEFA’s decision. England’s Football Association announced that its youth teams would not play against Russia, and the Swedish Football Association declared that Russia would not be allowed to participate in the women’s European Championship if they qualified. Additionally, the Polish Football Association president stated that Polish national teams would not compete against Russian teams in the competition.
Ukraine’s sports ministry had previously prohibited Ukrainian national sports associations from sending delegations to events where Russians or Belarusians were competing, given Belarus’s role in facilitating Russia’s invasion. However, Ukraine’s football association clarified that its senior team would continue to participate in Euro 2024 qualifiers, even though the Belarusian team competes in a separate qualifying group.
