Ahead of the latest Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League draws, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin delivered a statement on the ban on the Russian national team and its clubs from participating in European competitions.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, both UEFA and FIFA suspended the former, as well as banning Russian clubs from all European competitions. The Court Arbitration for Sport denied all six of Russia’s appeals.
Later in 2022, in September, UEFA stated that Russia would not participate in Euro 2024, while participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup was out of the question because they could not compete in the qualifying stages for the showcase tournament.
UEFA’s Ceferin Issues a Statement on Reversing Russia’s Ban from European Football
Next summer, as Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina try to retain their title as global champions, Russia will miss their second global Cup in a row. They last competed in an international football competition at the 2018 World Cup, which they hosted.
Ceferin, UEFA President and European football’s symbol, recently spoke with POLITICO at his temporary office in Monaco regarding Valery Karpin’s Russia’s future participation in international events.
When asked if there had been any discussions about expelling Israeli clubs from European competitions, Ceferin referred to Russia’s ongoing embargo. The 57-year-old boss stated: “The ban for Russian teams is, I believe, three and a half years. Did the conflict end? It did not. So, for the time being, I’m not sure,” he added.
“I have to add that the situation in Russia and Ukraine created a lot of political pressure. Civil society is now exerting greater pressure than politicians, who are clearly pragmatic when it comes to conflicts and victims. I can’t say what will happen. There are discussions over everything, but I personally oppose kicking the players out.
He also addressed the controversial nature of the decision to ban Russia. “For me, sport should try to lead the way, but not by preventing athletes from competing. But, to be honest, the war between Russia and Ukraine elicited an almost frantic political reaction.
“We were among the first to take action, believing that sport could help put an end to this tragedy.” Unfortunately, life demonstrated otherwise,” he continued, before concluding: “Now I don’t see much reaction from politics. It is enormous from the perspective of civic society.”
It remains to be seen if Russia will be permitted to return to European championships, but one thing is certain: any potential match with Ukraine is banned by UEFA and FIFA owing to the current conflict. Russia, which supports Serbia against Kosovo, is likewise unable to play the latter in international competition.
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