FIFA president Gianni Infantino has expressed support for Russia’s reinstatement in international football, calling for an end to the country’s four-year exclusion from tournaments.
FIFA banned Russia from competition following its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. As a result, Russia was removed from that year’s World Cup in Qatar and missed qualifying for the 2026 World Cup set to take place this summer in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
In an interview with Sky Sports during the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup in London, Infantino stated that the ban has not been effective. He emphasized that his priority is to have Russia’s youth teams reinstated.
“We need to consider reinstating Russia, as this ban has not accomplished anything. It’s only led to more frustration and hatred,” Infantino said. “Allowing Russian boys and girls to play football in other parts of Europe would be beneficial.”
The UEFA executive committee, which will meet on February 11 in Brussels, has the power to reinstate Russia. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has said that the ongoing war in Ukraine needs to cease for that to occur.
In 2023, UEFA briefly considered allowing Russia to take part in the Under-17 continental championship qualifying, arguing that children should not be punished for the actions of their government. However, after several national federations threatened to boycott matches, UEFA decided to maintain the ban.
At the senior men’s level, Russia has only played friendly matches, including games against Chile and Peru in November.
Russia hosted the 2018 World Cup and reached the quarterfinals during Infantino’s first term as FIFA president.
Infantino also commented that FIFA should establish a principle against banning countries from competing in football due to the actions of their political leaders.