Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin has declined to support comments made by his Fifa counterpart Gianni Infantino to consider ending a ban on Russian football teams competing in club or international competitions.
Russia was suspended by Fifa and Uefa following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but this week Infantino told Sky News that the ban “has not achieved anything, it has just created more frustration and hatred”.
Infantino stated that Fifa “should never ban any country from playing football because of the acts of their political leaders” and even suggested Russia’s return to underage competitions across Europe “would help”.
He added that a ban on Israel “is a defeat” despite the Football Association of Ireland’s motion to Uefa in November seeking the suspension of the Israel FA.
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Ceferin, following the 50th Uefa Congress in Brussels, avoided giving any indication that Russia would be allowed to qualify for Euro 2028.
“I checked what [Infantino] said. I think the story became too big. He said there is too much hatred. He said we’d look into it, of course we should look into everything. And he spoke about the youth, and how children should eventually play.”
After a torrent of criticism from Ukrainian officials was directed at Infantino since his comments on Russia, including Andriy Shevchenko, the president of the Ukraine FA, Ceferin was pressed to clarify if Uefa are considering a change to the Russian suspension.
“I can only say I don’t want to enter into dispute here. I don’t think that if anybody says his or her opinion, he or she should be insulted by anybody.
“Uefa’s position is clear, it didn’t change, but we are looking into everything every day. The world is changing so fast that it is hard to follow. I cannot comment on what Fifa is doing or what any government says.”
In Ceferin’s address to the Uefa Congress, he added: “Unity is never guaranteed. Only a few kilometres from here, in Waterloo, one chapter of European history ended and another began [in 1815].
“Europe learned early that stability is precious and fragile. And that trust takes time to build but very little time to lose.
“My friends, today, we do not need a long history lesson. We live in history. We feel the tensions and we see the polarisations. We share the sense that the world is falling apart. We meet at a moment when the global order feels more fragile than at any time in recent memory.
“As a lawyer, I sometimes wonder whether we still share one rule of law. Or whether we are drifting into a landscape of double standards where power increasing decides what principles are allowed.
“Even the EU, honestly speaking, is still trying to keep its line straight.
“Now, you might ask, what does this all have to do with football? Well, my friends, it has everything to do with football because in a world that fragments, football still connects. In a society that divides, football still offers a common language.
“Leaders come and go, empires rise and fall, but football stays. Season after season, generation after generation, it is deeply woven into the fabric of our communities. Football cannot be bought, it cannot be sold.”
Uefa’s projected revenue for the 2026/27 season is €5.1 billion.
The FAI motion on Israel was not discussed at congress but it was confirmed that the women’s World Cup in 2037 will be hosted by the United Kingdom.
“As the sole bid,” said Ceferin, “congratulations.”
