European football’s governing body UEFA on Tuesday announced it would re-admit Russian youth teams into continental football competitions during this season.
Russian international and club teams have been banned by UEFA since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but that is now set to change once the governing body finds a “technical solution” for under-17 boys and girls teams.
In a statement, UEFA said it is “aware that children should not be punished for actions whose responsibility lies exclusively with adults and is firmly convinced that football should never give up sending messages of peace and hope.
“It is particularly aggrieving that, due to the enduring conflict, a generation of minors is deprived of its right to compete in international football,” UEFA added. “For these reasons, the UEFA executive committee has decided that Russian teams of minor players will be readmitted to its competitions in the course of this season.”
All matches played by Russian teams will take place without the country’s flag, anthem and national kit, and not on Russian territory, UEFA’s statement added.
Days after Vladimir Putin sent his tanks rolling into Ukraine, UEFA terminated a sponsorship deal with Russian energy giant Gazprom and stripped its 2022 flagship Champions League final from St. Petersburg.
