2023-10-10 17:43:48
The project only lasted a few days before being abandoned. On Tuesday October 10, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) announced that it was refusing to reinstate the Russian men’s and women’s teams under the age of 17 in competition. “No technical solution could be found” to allow their return, a spokesperson for the body explained to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
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The Ukrainian National Federation (UAF) welcomed this announcement, rejoicing that its position has been “heard”. On September 27, the day after UEFA’s proposal, the organization announced its decision to boycott tournaments in which Russian youth teams would take part.
This measure was quickly followed by several countries: England, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway and Romania. “We thank our European partners for their support to Ukraine! »the UAF said in a statement on its website.
No reaction from FIFA
On February 28, 2022, in agreement with the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), its international counterpart, UEFA decided to exclude the country’s teams from its tournaments, in response to the invasion of Ukraine by the Kremlin troops. A year and a half later, she wanted to soften her position, believing that “Children should not be punished for actions for which adults are solely responsible”. Their matches, however, had to be played “without the flag, the anthem and the official uniforms” as well as’“outside Russian territory”.
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FIFA, which also lifted the suspension of Russian teams under the age of 17 last week, did not wish to comment at this stage. According to a source close to the matter, the body is not expected to make a new decision and its position has not changed either. The Russians will in any case not be present at the Under-17 World Cup (from November 10 to December 2, in Indonesia) since they will not be able to qualify through the Euro in this age category.
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