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Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA
In a surprising statement, the person responsible for world football said he believed it was time for Russia to play again.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino believes it is time to reintegrate Russiabanned from football since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Ukraine’s Sports Minister, Matvii Bidnyi, said the words were “out of touch”reality in which children are being killed“.
Russian and Belarusian athletes are about to compete as neutrals at the Winter Olympics in Italy, but the IOC chief potentially opens the way for Russia’s return to the Olympic Games.
What did FIFA say about the Russia ban?
The president of FIFA, Gianni Infantinosaid he wants Russia reinstated in international football tournaments.
“We have to [considerar a reintegração da Rússia]definitely, because this ban has achieved nothing. It only created more frustration and hate“, Infantino said in an interview with Sky. “Having girls and boys from Russia being able to play football in other parts of Europe would help.”
Russia has been banned from international football since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022, four years ago. They were expelled from the World Cup in Qatar that year and did not participate in the qualifiers for the 2026 tournament, which will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada this summer. The men’s team has played private matches since then, but has not played an official game since the 2018 World Cup, hosted in the country and in which the team reached the quarter-finals.
In 2023, European football’s governing body UEFA briefly planned to allow Russia’s under-17 teams to compete, claiming that They didn’t want to punish the children. by the actions of a government. However, UEFA withdrew the plan after pressure from a dozen national federations.
The UEFA executive committee meets on 11 February and has the authority to reinstate Russia in its tournaments of clubs and national teams. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said that for Russia to return to competitive football, the invasion of Ukraine must end.
Ukraine responds to Infantino’s statements
Ukrainian Sports Minister Matvii Bidnyi told Sky News: “Gianni Infantino’s words they sound irresponsiblenot to say childish. They dissociate football from the reality in which children are being killed.”
“War is a crime, not politics“, continued Bidnyi. “It is Russia that politicizes sport and uses it to justify aggression.
“I share the position of the Ukrainian Football Association, which also warns against Russia’s return to international competitions,” Bidnyi said.
“As long as the Russians continue to kill Ukrainians and politicize sport, their national flag and symbols will have no place among those who respect values such as justice, integrity and fair play.”
In fact, just one day after Infantino’s statements, Ukrainian authorities explained that Russia had resumed attacks on Kiev, putting an end to the truce announced by US President Donald Trump. Ukrainian authorities reported injuries, attacks on energy infrastructure and emergency cuts to heating supplies.
Return to the Olympic Games?
Athletes from Russia and Belarus will only be able to compete in the Winter Olympics as Individual Neutral Athletesa special designation created by the IOC for athletes whose Olympic committees are suspended or banned.
And even so, not all athletes were approved for this neutral status, as there is a strict list of requirements established by the IOC. Following the Russian invasion and subsequent ban, these requirements aim to ensure that neutral athletes are not linked to the political or military actions that led to Russia’s ban as a nation from the Olympic Games.
This situation became even more complicated in 2023, when the Russian Olympic Committee took control of sports entities in occupied Ukraine, which the IOC declared as a transgression of the legal limits of the Olympic system.
There will be 13 Russian athletes competing as neutrals in Milan-Cortina and seven from Belarus. This represents a stark contrast to the previous two Olympics. In 2018, Russian athletes had to compete under the name “Olympic Athletes from Russia” due to a doping scandal sponsored by the state in the country. Despite this, more than 160 athletes still competed under the OAR designation, winning 17 medals.
Four years later, in Beijing, more than 200 athletes won 32 medals to Russia under the name “Russian Olympic Committee” due to the doping scandal. Four days after the end of these Games, Russia invaded Ukraine. Ukraine.
Coventry do not rule out a return
IOC President Kirsty Coventry appeared to set the stage for Russia’s return following her comments at the IOC Summit ahead of the Winter Olympics in Italy.
“We can’t please everyone. The Olympic Games and the values they represent are our greatest asset,” said Coventry.
“We understand the politics and we know that we do not operate in isolation. But our goal is sport. This means keep sport as neutral grounda place where all athletes can compete without being harmed by politics or divisions within their governments.”
While it is unclear whether Coventry is referring to Russia, the timing of these comments suggests a connection and opens up the possibility of a return of Russian athletes for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
