Ukraine slams Infantino over comments on possible Russia ban lift

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Ukraine’s sports minister has criticised Fifa president Gianni Infantino over comments suggesting that world football’s governing body could reconsider the ban placed on Russia, describing his remarks as “irresponsible” and “infantile.”

Russian national teams and clubs were suspended by Fifa and Uefa in February 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a decision that has kept the country out of major tournaments, including the 2022 World Cup, Euro 2024 and the 2026 World Cup.

Despite the ongoing war, Infantino said the ban “has not achieved anything” and “has just created more frustration and hatred,” adding that “having girls and boys from Russia being able to play football games in other parts of Europe would help.”

Reacting in a post on social media, Ukraine’s sports minister, Matvii Bidnyi, said: “Gianni Infantino’s words sound irresponsible – not to say infantile,” adding that they “detach football from the reality in which children are being killed.”

Bidnyi stated that more than 650 Ukrainian athletes and coaches, including over 100 footballers, have been killed since the start of the war, and added: “War is a crime, not politics,” insisting that Russia’s flag and national symbols “have no place among people who respect values such as justice, integrity and fair play.”

Serhii Palkin, chief executive of Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk, also condemned Infantino’s comments, saying they “represent a complete detachment from reality” and amount to “an attempt to pretend that war and aggression do not exist.”

He warned that football cannot ignore events outside the pitch, stating: “Football cannot exist outside reality and it has no right to turn a blind eye to evil,” while stressing that any move to reintegrate Russia would carry “responsibility for complicity in the silencing of war crimes.”

Although Russia has played matches against some non-Western nations outside the Fifa and Uefa framework, the ban remains in place, even as Ukraine continues to oppose any steps toward Russia’s return to international sport.