UEFA has sanctioned the football federations of Estonia and Lithuania for refusing to honour their fixtures against Belarus in the upcoming Women’s U17s European Championship qualifying tournament, which will be played in Malta later this month.
The Malta U17s team will host the League B, Group 1 tournament, which also includes Belarus, Estonia, and Lithuania, and will be played between March 27 and April 2.
However, not all qualifying group matches will be played.
Both Estonia and Lithuania have refused to face Belarus because of the country’s involvement in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The decision had already been made before the draw, with both federations aware they could be placed in the same group as Belarus, as has happened in previous competitions.
Following Belarus’ involvement in the war, UEFA banned Belarusian clubs and national teams from hosting international matches in Belarus.
Russia, meanwhile, has been completely banned from UEFA competitions since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Belarusian teams are still allowed to compete internationally but must play their home matches at neutral venues and behind closed doors. They are also able to play away matches, although entry into host countries ultimately depends on the host nation itself.
MFA vice-president Matthew Paris told the Times of Malta that the Maltese governing body has consistently adhered to the decisions of the international sporting bodies.
“The Malta FA has been drawn to face Estonia, Lithuania, and Belarus in the UEFA Women’s Under-17 tournament, which will be hosted in Malta,” Dr Paris said.
“From a sporting perspective, the Malta FA believes that the international sports movement should remain united when addressing matters of this nature.
“Accordingly, and provided that such decisions remain consistent with national objectives, the Malta FA has consistently aligned itself with and adhered to the decisions taken by the international governing bodies of sport, including the International Olympic Committee, FIFA, and UEFA.”
Dr Paris added that, from an organisational perspective, no special directives have been issued so far, meaning the tournament will be organised in the same way as any other international competition hosted by the Malta FA.
Meanwhile, Malta FA president Bjorn Vassallo, who also serves as chairperson of UEFA’s Youth and Amateur Football Committee, condemned the atrocities taking place in Ukraine and elsewhere, while expressing hope that youth tournaments remain free from political division and continue to unite young athletes through sport.
Since the beginning of the war, the Estonian government, the Ministry of Culture, and the national Olympic Committee have maintained that Russian and Belarusian teams should not be allowed to participate in international competitions.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Lithuania has introduced new legislation that prohibits Lithuanian sports teams from competing against representatives of aggressor states, making a match against Belarus legally impossible.
As a result of the position taken by the football governing bodies of Estonia and Lithuania, UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body sanctioned both federations for refusing to play the scheduled U17s fixtures.
The governing body awarded Belarus 3-0 victories over both Estonia and Lithuania.
This means Belarus will play only one match in the group, against Malta.
Malta U17s will also face Estonia and Lithuania.
Since the invasion of Ukraine, Malta and Belarus have met several times.
Malta and Belarus have faced each other twice at the senior level of women’s football during separate international windows.
At the same time, Malta and Belarus’ men’s national teams also met in a March 2024 international friendly.
With the two forfeited matches, Belarus already have six points, and only the group winner will secure automatic promotion to League A.
Meanwhile, the majority of Malta’s U17s players who will play in the tournament in Malta will also be with the U16s national team, in this week’s UEFA Development Tournament in Moldova, where they will face hosts Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Faroe Islands.
