Ukraine wants Uefa to review decision to readmit Russia Under-17s

The Ukrainian Association of Football says it will boycott any Uefa competition Russia are allowed back into.

But the UAF called their reinstatement “groundless” and added the decision “tolerates Russia’s aggressive policy”.

“We strongly urge Uefa to review this decision,” the Uaf said.

“We insist on preserving the previous decisions of Uefa and Fifa regarding the prevention of all Russian teams from participating in international competitions.”

Uefa, European football’s governing body, said boys and girls should not be punished for the actions of adults.

“Football should never give up sending messages of peace and hope,” the organisation said.

The Football Association disagrees with Uefa’s decision and says England would not play Russia if drawn against them.

An FA spokeswoman said: “We do not support the position of readmitting Russia to Uefa age-grade competitions, and our position remains that England teams won’t play against Russia.”

Representatives from Poland and Romania are also believed to be against Uefa’s plan.

Uefa suspended all Russian teams from European competitions when the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

It also revoked hosting rights for the 2022 Champions League final and 2023 Super Cup, which were due to be held in Saint Petersburg and Kazan respectively, as well as cancelling the sponsorship contract with state-owned energy giant Gazprom.

Uefa says it has “reiterated its condemnation of Russia’s illegal war” and confirmed all other Russian teams remain suspended.

“Uefa’s continuing suspension against Russian adult teams reflects its commitment to take a stand against violence and aggression,” said the organisation’s president Aleksander Ceferin.

“Uefa is determined that this position will continue until the war is over and peace restored.

“But 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.

“By providing opportunities to play and compete with their peers from all over Europe, we are investing in what we hope will be a brighter and more capable future generation and a better tomorrow.”

Uefa’s executive committee has asked the organisation’s administration to “propose a technical solution” to allow teams back into U17 competitions even if they have already started.

It added that the matches will not be played in Russia and the teams will not be allowed wear the national kit, display their flag or play their anthem.

The next Under-17 male European Championship finals are due to be played in Cyprus next year. The women’s equivalent will be held in Sweden next May. — bbc.com