England’s youth teams will not play against Russia, the Football Association (FA) said yesterday, after Uefa announced plans to reinstate Russia’s under-17 sides to European competition for the first time since the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
Following the invasion, European soccer’s governing body decided in February 2022 that all Russian teams – national or club sides – would be suspended from participation in their competitions. Uefa also cancelled its partnership with Russian energy company Gazprom.
In a statement yesterday following its executive committee’s meeting in Limassol, Cyprus, Uefa said it was “aware that children should not be punished for actions whose responsibility lies exclusively with adults...
“For these reasons, the Uefa executive committee has decided that Russian teams of minor players will be readmitted to its competitions in the course of this season.
“The executive committee has asked the Uefa administration to propose a technical solution that would enable the reinstatement of the Russian U17 teams (both girls and boys) even when draws have already been held.”
The FA said it disagreed with Uefa’s decision. “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,” an FA spokesperson told Reuters.
The U17 men’s European Championship finals will be held in Cyprus next year, while the women’s tournament will take place in Sweden.
&uuid=(email))