UEFA abandons plan to enter Russia into U17 Euro qualifiers

Russia won’t be allowed to play in Under-17 European Championship qualifying video games this month in spite of everything, European soccer physique UEFA mentioned Tuesday after being unable to make its most well-liked new coverage work.

Widespread opposition from member federations to taking part in Russia at any degree of worldwide video games led to UEFA going again to its blanket ban on Russian groups, which it had controversially tried to change two weeks in the past.

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UEFA had surprisingly eased its coverage that every one Russian nationwide and membership groups be excluded from worldwide competitions, which has been in place since Russia invaded Ukraine final 12 months.

UEFA had cited the significance of not punishing kids for the choices of a nationwide authorities in suggesting that Russian U17 groups may play in worldwide competitions however with out their nationwide colours, flag or anthem.

The transfer provoked a break up in UEFA’s govt committee — its vice presidents from England, Poland and Wales refused to again the proposal — and a minimum of 12 of the 55 member federations mentioned their groups would proceed to refuse to play video games in opposition to Russia.

For the final two weeks, UEFA workers explored inserting Russia into its males’s and ladies’s youth competitions regardless of having already drawn the qualifying teams. Each group was due to play all its video games unfold over a number of days in a single host nation.

After one other govt committee assembly on Tuesday, UEFA mentioned “the agenda point was withdrawn as no technical solution to allow Russian teams to play could be found.”

The Ukrainian soccer federation mentioned the choice confirmed that its attraction to different UEFA member federations to boycott video games in opposition to Russia was heard.

“Russian football remains isolated, that is, where it belongs,” the Ukrainian soccer physique mentioned.

UEFA’s up to date resolution got here after awarding its males’s Euro 2028 internet hosting rights to the United Kingdom and Ireland, whose members have opposed taking part in Russia, and the 2032 version to Italy and Turkey, whose govt committee members had supported the pro-Russia transfer.

“We have made ourselves really clear on Russia,” English Football Association CEO Mark Bullingham instructed reporters at UEFA headquarters. “From our understanding nothing has changed.”

UEFA leaders, together with its president Aleksander Ceferin, didn’t meet with reporters Tuesday.

UEFA’s most senior vp, Karl-Erik Nilsson, attended the assembly days after the Russia problem price him his job as head of the Sweden sports activities confederation, a government-backed nationwide funding physique.

Nilsson resigned final week underneath stress at residence for backing UEFA’s pro-Russia resolution in direct contravention of Swedish nationwide sports activities coverage.

The former World Cup referee retains his €250,000 ($265,000) per 12 months place as certainly one of UEFA’s six vice presidents with a mandate that expires in 18 months’ time.

Russian soccer’s delegate on the UEFA govt committee, Alexander Dyukov, didn’t journey to Switzerland for the assembly.