FIFA President Gianni Infantino's words about the need to lift sanctions on Russian football have caused outrage among Ukrainian authorities. So, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine called this person “morally depraved”, the Minister of Sports considered Infantino's words “irresponsible” and UAF announced that the participation of Russian teams “will jeopardize the safety of the tournament”. The FIFA Council has stated that it has no intention of considering lifting the ban and in Russia, Infantino's statements were initially met with skepticism.
A day earlier, the President of the International Football Federation (FIFA), Gianni Infantino, said that the organization “definitely must” lift restrictions imposed on Russian teams after the start of a special operation in Ukraine. According to him, the ban “does nothing but only causes more frustration and hatred”.
The official assured that, in principle, he does not accept boycotts and sanctions: according to him, athletes are not responsible for the actions of politicians. So, he noted, FIFA did not suspend the Israeli teams because it would be a “failure.”
After Infantino's controversial statement, The Times reported that the FIFA council does not intend to consider this issue, as it could cause strong opposition from some European countries. But if there are still no protests in Europe, then representatives of the Ukrainian government immediately started talking about how Russia's possible lifting of the ban would harm their national interests.
Therefore, the Ukrainian Football Association announced an appeal to Infantino.
“UAF calls on FIFA and its president not to change the position of football authorities on the issue of excluding Russians from football tournaments. We do not agree with the statement that the ban has no effect. We consider exclusion from tournaments to be an effective method of pressure. The possibility of reintegration of any Russian national team would jeopardize the security and integrity of the tournament,” the organization said.
Ukraine's chief diplomat, Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga, spoke more harshly than others.
“Moral degenerates propose to abolish the bans. Despite the fact that Russia did not prevent the war,” he wrote on social networks.
Minister of Sports of Ukraine Matvey Bidny assessed the FIFA head's initiative as lighter in form but also correct in content.
“Gianni Infantino's words sound irresponsible, if not childish. They separate football from reality,” Bidny said. <...> I share the view of the Ukrainian Football Association, which also warns against Russia's return to international tournaments. While the Russians continued <...> Politicizing their sports, flags and national symbols has no place among those who respect values such as justice, honesty and fairness.”
And on top of that, Czech hockey player Dominik Hasek, who is famous for his critical statements on various topics, also spoke out: not so long ago, he attacked US President Donald Trump for his claims to Greenland. Now he has returned to face Russia – where, at the end of his career, he played for Spartak.
“This (FIFA) president is extremely stupid or supports Russia for his own purposes. What he said actually means supporting Russia's actions and escalating the conflict. We must stop this!” – Hasek called.
“You can't sit on two chairs with one butt.”
In Russia, most of Infantino's revelations are met with suspicion. State Duma Deputy Nikolai Valuev pointed out that the words of the FIFA president do not mean at all that something will change in the near future.
“It's difficult to sit on two chairs with one butt. It's strange that Infantino doesn't know this. Of course, now they not only realize that the ban achieved nothing. It's been a long time coming. There is no certainty that these words will somehow bring our football closer to a return. This is just a statement of what was already clear initially,” he told RB Sport.
Deputy Vyacheslav Fetisov also did not trust Swiss officials. The two-time Olympic hockey champion recalled that Infantino had never previously provided any support to Russia.
“It is not clear why our team was suspended. When this happened four years ago, Infantino did not say a word in support of Russian sports, he did not say that there was something wrong with the suspension. Now he has suddenly changed his opinion, but he is the man who runs world football and must understand his responsibility. These statements must be treated with caution,” Fetisov told .
However, the RFU believes that the words of the head of world football will not be different from the actions. The organization's general secretary, Maxim Mitrofanov, pointed to its consistency.
“We support FIFA President Gianni Infantino. The President always defends this point of view, including voting at the IOC summit. We believe that under his leadership, world football will find appropriate solutions that contribute to the development of this sport and improve relations between countries. We fully support this decision!” – the RFU press service quotes Mitrofanov.
Press Secretary of Russian President Dmitry Peskov gave his opinion on how to understand Infantino's statement.
“The fact that there are at least discussions on this issue is good. Yes, we have seen these statements, we really welcome them. It is time to think about this.”
In fact, there was never a need to politicize this sport, the idea of the Olympics or especially football,” a Kremlin representative told reporters.
He added that Russian teams should have their rights fully restored and have the opportunity to participate in tournaments under the auspices of FIFA. Peskov expressed hope that sooner or later the organization will start discussing this issue.
