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RESTORING Russia to world football through a peace agreement with Ukraine is “what we have to cheer for”, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said.
Russia have effectively been barred from FIFA and UEFA club and national team competitions at all levels since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The United States is seeking to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, and Infantino expressed his wish that Russia could make their return to the international football community as soon as possible.
Speaking at UEFA’s annual Congress in Belgrade, Infantino said: “I think about the 1992 European Championship, the golden generation of football in this part of the world.
“Because of politics, the Serbia team was denied access to the European Championship. They certainly had a team to win, but they were denied access.
“We have always to try to use football to bring people together, to bring countries together, especially in our world which is divided.
“As talks are going on for peace in Ukraine, I hope we can soon move to the next stage and bring back Russia in the football landscape, because this would mean everything is solved.
“That is what we have to cheer for, that is what we have to pray for, because that is what football is about.”
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, who backed an effort to allow Russian Under-17 teams to return to competition in 2023, also spoke about the need for unity without explicitly referencing the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
“We are told that we have never been so divided,” he said in his address to the Congress.
“Every day we hear what feels like a non-stop refrain – us versus them.
“When we hear this day in and day out, it’s easy to believe, but let me tell you my friends, this division is but an illusion and a terribly common tactic, a deliberate and obvious ploy by those who seek to divide us, to divide and conquer.
“European football must continue to stand as a model for unity in this increasingly divided world.”
Yesterday marked the final day of the four-year term on UEFA’s executive committee for Russian football federation president Alexander Dyukov, who opted not to stand for re-election.
Ukrainian federation president Andriy Shevchenko – who has spoken about the devastation wrought on his country’s sporting infrastructure by the Russian invasion – was unsuccessful in his campaign to be elected to the ExCo for a two-year term.
The successful candidates were Rafael Louzan of Spain and Israeli FA president Moshe Zuares. – Agencies.
Online Reporter