MOSCOW, September 27 Latvian and Lithuanian football federations on their official websites announced a refusal to play against Russian teams of all levels at international tournaments.
On September 26, the Executive Committee of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) allowed Russian teams of players under 17 years of age to participate in international tournaments. It is expected that women's and men's teams will play their matches without the flag, anthem and not on the territory of the Russian Federation. The suspension of adult Russian teams will remain in effect until the end of the conflict in Ukraine. England, Poland, Sweden and Denmark previously stated that their national teams refused to play with the Russians.
«»If it happens that our and the Russian youth teams have to play each other in the same tournament, our players will not take the field, no matter what sanctions the federation threatens for this and no matter where the match is held. In this case One can only agree with representatives of the football federations of Ukraine, England, Latvia and other countries, who have already publicly stated that their players will not play against the Russian national team,” said the head of the Lithuanian federation, Edgaras Stankevicius.
«The Latvian Football Federation confirms that Latvian football teams at all levels will not play against Russian teams, regardless of the location of such games or the form of presentation of Russian athletes,» the Latvian federation stated.
The International Football Federation (FIFA) and UEFA published a joint statement in February 2022, according to which Russian national teams and clubs are suspended from participation in international competitions for an indefinite period due to the events in Ukraine. In total, after the sanctions began, the Russian national team played eight friendly matches.