Russian football teams readmitted to Europe after Ukraine war – but only for children

Russia’s 19-month blanket exile from European football is over after Uefa agreed youth players will be allowed to compete for the nation again.

While adult teams remain suspended until at least Euro 2024, the governing body said it was “particularly aggrieving” to see youngsters banned.

Fifa and Uefa intervened to ban Russia in February last year after its military invasion of neighbouring Ukraine. The Russian men’s team’s match against Poland in a World Cup play-off semi-final was called off and the team has not competed since.

In a statement on Tuesday, however, Uefa said it had now concluded “children should not be punished for actions whose responsibility lies exclusively with adults”.

Aleksander Čeferin, the Uefa president, said: “By banning children from our competitions, we not only fail to recognise and uphold a fundamental right for their holistic development but we directly discriminate against them.”

The governing body added: “Uefa was the first sports body to react to the war in Ukraine and took decisive action in February 2022 – suspending all Russian teams from its competitions, removing events scheduled in Russia like the Uefa Champions League final in Saint Petersburg and the Uefa Super Cup in Kazan, and cancelling its sponsorship contract with Gazprom.

“However, Uefa is also aware that children should not be punished for actions whose responsibility lies exclusively with adults and is firmly convinced that football should never give up sending messages of peace and hope. It is particularly aggrieving that, due to the enduring conflict, a generation of minors is deprived of its right to compete in international football.”

As part of their readmission, “all matches of the Russian teams shall be played without the country flag, anthem, national playing kit and not on the Russian territory”, Uefa added.

At the same time, the Executive Committee “reiterated its condemnation of Russia’s illegal war and confirmed that the suspension of all other teams of Russia (clubs and national teams) will remain in force until the end of the conflict in Ukraine”.

Earlier this month, Uefa was criticised for allowing Gazprom to remain sponsor of Red Star Belgrade as the Serbian champions returned to the Champions League.