UEFA position on Russia ban ‘has not changed’, says Ceferin

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin on Thursday said European football’s governing body was not currently contemplating bringing Russia back into the international fold, after FIFA chief Gianni Infantino recently indicated he backed easing a ban on the country.

“UEFA’s position is clear and has not changed but we are looking into everything every day,” Ceferin told reporters at the UEFA Congress in Brussels.

Russia was expelled from all club and international competitions by UEFA in 2022 following the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

It was therefore notably kicked out of qualifying for that year’s men’s World Cup in Qatar and took no part in qualifying for Euro 2024 or the upcoming World Cup in North America.

However, the International Olympic Committee has now recommended sports federations allow Russian teams to compete at youth level, and Infantino said earlier this month that the ban “has not achieved anything”.

“We have to (look at readmitting Russia). Definitely,” said Infantino.

“This ban has not achieved anything, it has just created more frustration and hatred.

“Having girls and boys from Russia being able to play football games in other parts of Europe would help.”

His words provoked fury in Ukraine, which said the ban should be in place “as long as Russians continue to kill Ukrainians.”

Ceferin, who embraced Infantino and posed for photos with the FIFA president on stage on Thursday, appeared to leave the door open to a possible change of approach from UEFA.

“The world is changing so fast that it is even hard to follow. Let’s see what the future brings,” he said.