Ukraine and Poland responded Wednesday to the return of Russian youth teams to European soccer competitions, reviving fears of chain boycotts and illustrating the perilous reintegration of Russians into world sport.
The Ukrainian Federation (AUF) “strongly condemns” the decision of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), announced on Tuesday, to once again allow Russian teams under the age of 17 in its tournaments, while maintaining the exclusion of senior teams voted in February 2022 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The AUF “confirms that it will not take part in any competition in which Russian teams participate”, and urges UEFA to “revisit its decision”, it wrote in a press release. It also asks other countries to “boycott possible matches involving Russian teams, if they are admitted”.
In the process, the Polish Federation (PZPN) followed this request by announcing that its national teams would refuse to face the Russians. “This is the only good solution,” said Polish football boss Cezary Kulesza on X (ex-Twitter), “surprised” by UEFA’s announcement.
For its part, the English Federation reiterated its position of principle – “English teams will not play against Russia”, according to a spokesperson interviewed by AFP –, also disapproving the turnaround of the European body.
Do not punish “the children”
However, UEFA had attempted on Tuesday to make a limited turnaround in its policy of excluding Russians, by recalling its “condemnation of the illegal war led by Russia”, and by maintaining “the suspension of all other Russian teams – clubs and national teams — until the end of the conflict in Ukraine.”
But for the organization based in Nyon, Switzerland, “children should not be punished for acts for which the responsibility lies exclusively with adults”.
For the UEFA executive committee, “it is particularly regrettable that due to the persistence of the conflict, a generation of minor players is deprived of their right to compete in international football competitions”.
The organization’s government therefore instructed its administration to “propose a technical solution” allowing the immediate reintegration of Russian teams under 17, both female and male, “even when the draws have already taken place”.
Their matches must, however, be played “without the Russian flag, anthem and official outfits,” and outside Russian territory,” specifies UEFA.
The Italian Federation (FIGC), joined by AFP, for its part recalled that its president Gabriele Gravina had spoken at the UEFA executive committee to support the position of the European body: “penalize young generations is not a good thing for the future and peace,” the FIGC is told.
Tumultuous return
Asked by AFP, UEFA had not yet commented on Wednesday on the Ukrainian, Polish and English reactions, which are already compromising the good organization of its future youth tournaments.
But the episode illustrates once again the tumultuous reintegration of Russians into world sport, in dispersed order according to disciplines, while their presence at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris is still not clear.
Last March, the International Olympic Committee returned to its position formulated a year earlier by recommending their return to international competition, proposing drastic conditions to the international federations: the Russians and Belarusians should be able to line up under a neutral banner, but only at individually, and as long as they have not actively supported the conflict in Ukraine.
Kiev reacted by initially prohibiting its athletes from facing the Russians, thus boycotting the Judo and Taekwondo World Championships in the spring, before reversing this policy at the end of July so as not to penalize its own representatives.
Poland, at the forefront of military and political support for its Ukrainian neighbor, had for its part refused to issue visas to the Russians for the European fencing championships planned for Warsaw, forcing the international federation to move them to Bulgaria at the last minute. .