UEFA has backed down on their plans to end their blanket ban on Russia football teams after they faced fierce backlash over their decision to allow the nation’s Under 17s side to compete last month.
The governing body was swift to hand down a total ban on both national and club sides in the wake of Russian aggression 18 months ago, and the organisation’s president Aleksander Ceferin stated in April that it would be ‘very hard’ to overturn the ruling as long as Russia remained involved in their conflict with Ukraine.
However, UEFA then announced a fortnight ago that they would ease the ban to enable Russian youngsters to play and develop – insisting it was ‘aware that children should not be punished for actions whose responsibility lies exclusively with adults.
The policy provoked a split in UEFA’s executive committee and at least 12 of the 55 European member federations said their teams – which reportedly included England – would continue to refuse to play games against Russia.
Now UEFA has been forced to back down and announced on Tuesday that Russia will not be allowed to play in U17s European Championship qualifying games this month.
After assessing how Russian youth teams could be reintegrated, UEFA said after another executive committee meeting on Tuesday that ‘the agenda point was withdrawn as no technical solution to allow Russian teams to play could be found.’
Last year, shortly after Russia had invaded Ukraine – and before UEFA’s ban came into effect – England reiterated their vow to not play Russia in any competition while they were still involved in the conflict.
A statement from the FA in February 2022 read: ‘Out of solidarity with the Ukraine and to wholeheartedly condemn the atrocities being committed by the Russian leadership, The FA can confirm that we won’t play against Russia in any international fixtures for the foreseeable future.
‘This includes any potential match at any level of senior, age group or para football.’
While UEFA partially lifted the ban last month, they insisted any ties featuring the youth sides will be played on neutral ground, and the teams will not be able to either wear the Russian national team strip, nor play the national anthem before kick-off.
Alongside the ban, UEFA issued a statement that said that the organisation’s executive committee ‘reiterated its condemnation of Russia’s illegal war and confirmed that the suspension of all other teams of Russia (including clubs and national teams) will remain in force until the end of the conflict in Ukraine’.
In April, Russia discussed the possibility of lifting the ban after u-turning on a proposed switch to the Asian Football Confederation.
‘We are negotiating with UEFA about the restoration, removal of bans, negotiations are difficult, these are long conversations that go on all the time,’ RFU Secretary General Maxim Mitrofanov told Russia’s official state news agency TASS at the time.
‘UEFA does not want the RFU to leave, and the RFU does not want to leave, but nevertheless, it is very important to restore the games for the clubs, youth teams and the first team, of course we want to play.’
Content by: SAM MCEVOY FOR MAILONLINE
