FIFA eases restrictions and reinstates Russian youth teams
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A FIFA decided to ease the restrictions imposed on Russia since the start of the war in Ukraine and approved this Wednesday (4) the participation of Russian youth teams in competitions organized by the entity. Until then, the nation was prohibited from competing in sporting events both in the professional sphere, a punishment still in force, and in any lower category.
With the new decision, the Russian team will be able to compete in the U17 World Cup if they manage to qualify through the qualifiers. To compete, the team will have to adopt the name “Russian Football Union”. FIFA’s release comes a week after UEFA authorized Russia to participate in the U17 Euro Cup qualifiers. The European entity argued that “children should not be punished for actions for which adults alone are responsible.”
Upon learning of UEFA’s position, Ukraine, invaded by Russian troops in February last year, promised to boycott tournaments featuring teams from the neighboring country and urged allies to do the same. Poland, Latvia and England have already indicated that they may follow the same path. In Russia, the move is seen as a first step towards returning to the main stages of world sport.
Russian under-17 teams may face problems entering some countries for Euro qualifying matches, which begin this month. Players and members of coaching staffs may have difficulty obtaining visas and travel permits.
FIFA and UEFA acted just days after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 to suspend the country’s national and club teams from international football competitions. When Russia’s football federation appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the court accepted FIFA and UEFA’s argument that they had a duty to organize competitions with “safety and integrity.”
As there are no signs of an imminent end to the conflict in Ukraine, entities have begun to become more flexible. The first step was taken by Aleksander Ceferin, president of UEFA, who will lead a new meeting on the topic this week.
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