Foot: Infantino favorable à la réintégration de la Russie, l'Ukraine s'insurge
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has, for the first time, called for the lifting of the suspension of Russia and its clubs from international competitions, arguing that it has generated "more frustration and hatred," a position deemed "irresponsible" by Ukraine.
In an interview with Sky News, the head of the International Federation of Football answered affirmatively to a question regarding the end of the ban on Russia since the large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
"We must (consider it), that's for sure," said the Italian-Swiss leader, an unprecedented stance in this sensitive matter.
According to Gianni Infantino, "this exclusion has brought nothing, it has only generated more frustration and hatred," adding that "the fact that Russian girls and boys can play football in other parts of Europe would be a good thing."
This stance comes as the International Olympic Committee recently recommended that sports federations allow Russian teams to participate in junior - non-professional events.
Infantino went even further, stating that FIFA should consider changing its rules so that no country can be suspended from its tournaments in the future.
- Infantino against boycotts -
"We should never actually ban a country from playing football because of the actions of its political leaders. I am against bans, I am also against boycotts. I think they accomplish nothing. They only contribute to more hatred," he said.
He then drew a parallel with trade relations between the United Kingdom and the United States: "Is anyone asking for the United Kingdom to stop trading with the United States? I haven't heard anything like that. So why football?"
Gianni Infantino's statement was predictably very well received in Russia, with the Kremlin welcoming these remarks through its spokesman, Dmitry Peskov. "This is something we really should have thought of a long time ago."
Quite the opposite of Ukraine, which reacted angrily to the FIFA president's remarks. Sports Minister Matvii Bydnyi denounced them on Facebook, calling them "irresponsible, even childish."
"As long as the Russians continue to kill Ukrainians and politicize sport, their flag and national symbols have no place among people who respect values like justice, honesty and fair play," he stressed.
"679 Ukrainian girls and boys will never be able to play football - Russia killed them," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said on X.
- A delicate reintegration -
The potential reintegration of Russian teams is nonetheless a delicate matter, as their exclusion was not decided solely by FIFA but jointly with the European Confederation (UEFA) to "demonstrate complete unity" within football after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This extremely rare joint announcement by the two governing bodies ensured consistency between competitions under their respective jurisdictions, with the key issue being qualification for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
But in the meantime, UEFA has clearly linked the return of the Russians to the end of the conflict in Ukraine.
"For us, it is quite clear that the war must end," said its president Aleksander Ceferin in September 2025 to Politico magazine, while personally stating that he was "not a supporter of the exclusion of athletes."
UEFA had tried in 2023 to bring back the Russian under-17 teams into its competitions, believing that teenagers should be treated differently, but had to give up.
"It was such political hysteria, such pressure on certain members of the executive committee," Ceferin said at the time.
Infantino has also long been on this line, as he clearly stated in May 2025 alongside US President Donald Trump during a meeting of the World Cup Task Force.
"They are temporarily banned from competition, but we hope that the situation will evolve favorably and that peace will return so that Russia can be reintegrated," he said.
"It's possible. Hey, that could be a good motivation," the White House occupant retorted.
Commentaires (6)
Un piètre dirigeant.
Ce gars est corrompu jusqu’à la moelle,les marocains en savent quelque chose.
Démission Infantino !
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