FIFA President supports return of Russian teams to football tournaments

The President of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), Gianni Infantino, says that he will consider lifting the ban on Russian teams from participating in football tournaments.

He said this in an interview with Sky News.

According to Infantino, the decision to suspend the Russians from the competition “has achieved nothing” and “has only generated more disappointment and hatred”. Therefore, the International Football Federation is obliged to consider lifting this ban.

"The opportunity for girls and boys from Russia to play football in other parts of Europe would be beneficial," the FIFA president believes.

He also said that he was generally not against changing the rules so that no country would be banned from playing football "because of the actions of its political leaders".

• In 2022, UEFA and FIFA decided to suspend all Russian teams from international competitions due to Russiaʼs invasion of Ukraine. Russiaʼs bid to host the European Football Championships in 2028 and 2032 was deemed unacceptable.

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