Russia are set to return to Fifa competition for the first time since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, after being listed on Friday as entrants for next month’s boys’ Under-15 World Cup and Festival in Azerbaijan.
Both club and national sides from Russia were banned from Fifa and Uefa tournaments following the invasion. Although Fifa lifted the prohibition on Russia’s under-17 teams back in 2023, the upcoming event will be the first time a team has actually played.
Advertisement
The Russian squad has been drawn in a group alongside Turkey, Afghanistan, Djibouti, Sierra Leone and Sudan. Last December, the Fifa Council agreed that the under-15 tournament would be accessible to teams from every one of its 211 member associations.
In July, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) withdrew its recommendation for global sports federations like Fifa to ban Russia.
Infantino claimed in July that banning Russia had ‘not achieved anything’ (Reuters)
In February, Fifa president Gianni Infantino told Sky News that the Russia ban had “not achieved anything” and had simply fostered “more frustration and hatred”.
Ukraine’s sports minister Matvii Bidnyi described Infantino’s remarks as “irresponsible” and “infantile”.
Advertisement
“They detach football from the reality in which children are being killed,” he said.
Russia have also been banned from other sports in recent years, but a suspension on the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) was provisionally lifted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) back in July.
This appears to have paved the way for Russia’s full return to the Olympic fold ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
The ROC was suspended in October 2023 for recognising regional Olympic councils in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine – Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia – following Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Advertisement
While the IOC’s executive board has now lifted the suspension, it has yet to decide whether Russia will be permitted to display its flag, colours, or have its anthem played at future Games.
Russian sports minister Mikhail Degtyarev welcomed the decision, stating it should facilitate a complete return for Russian athletes to the international sporting arena.
“Our country’s return to the Olympic family is a green light for international federations to reinstate all our athletes,” Mr Degtyarev said.
The Kremin then added the decision was welcomed as “an important step” towards reinstating Russian athletes to international competitions.
Read the full article here
