St. PETERSBURG, Oct 10, Dmitry Edigarev. The Executive Committee of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) canceled the decision to admit Russian youth teams to international competitions, as it did not find options for its implementation, said former president of Lokomotiv Moscow Olga Smorodskaya.
On Tuesday, the UEFA Executive Committee at a meeting in Nyon, Switzerland, canceled the decision to allow Russian national teams of players under 17 years of age to participate in tournaments.
“»The European federations protested very strongly and did not want to act against Russia. It cannot be said that UEFA and Alexander Čeferin caved in to others. They simply could not find an option for European teams to play with Russia,» Smorodskaya said.
On September 26, the UEFA Executive Committee allowed Russian youth teams to participate in international tournaments. It was assumed that the women's and men's teams would play their matches without the flag, anthem and not on the territory of the Russian Federation. England, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania and Norway said their national teams refuse to play the Russians.
The International Football Federation (FIFA) and UEFA in February 2022 suspended Russian national teams and clubs from participation in international competitions for an indefinite period due to the events in Ukraine.