Fifa president Infantino ‘cheering’ for Russia’s return to football
Fifa president Gianni Infantino wants Russia to return to world football as part of a peace pact with Ukraine, saying it is “what we have to cheer for”.
Russia have effectively been barred from Fifa and Uefa club and national team competitions at all levels since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The US is seeking to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, and Infantino told Uefa’s annual Congress in Belgrade that he hoped the former’s membership could be restored soon.
“I think about the 1992 European Championship, the golden generation of football in this part of the world,” he said.
“Because of politics, the Serbia team was denied access to the European Championship. They certainly had a team to win, but they were denied access.
“We have always to try to use football to bring people together, to bring countries together, especially in our world which is divided.
“As talks are going on for peace in Ukraine, I hope we can soon move to the next stage and bring back Russia in the football landscape, because this would mean everything is solved.
“That is what we have to cheer for, that is what we have to pray for, because that is what football is about.”
Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin, who backed an effort to allow Russian Under-17 teams to return to competition in 2023, also spoke about the need for unity.
“We are told that we have never been so divided. Every day we hear what feels like a non-stop refrain – us versus them,” Ceferin said.
“When we hear this day in and day out, it’s easy to believe, but let me tell you my friends, this division is but an illusion and a terribly common tactic, a deliberate and obvious ploy by those who seek to divide us, to divide and conquer.
“European football must continue to stand as a model for unity in this increasingly divided world.”
Includes reporting by PA.