UEFA expressed regret over the suspension of the youth national teams of the Russian Federation

Alexander Ceferin, President of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), expressed regret over the suspension of Russian youth national teams from competitions. This was announced on May 26 by the O Jogo portal.

"First of all, they are children. <...> Now they think that we hate them, hate the nation. I don't hate any nation. <...> It's sad that we are so limited that we don't even allow children to play," the online publication quotes him as saying.

According to Ceferin, some sports federations were under political pressure, which caused them fear. At the same time, he noted that the lack of changes in the attitude of Russian adult teams until the end of the conflict is obvious.

"The stage of return may be playing on neutral fields, but we want to play matches at home."

RFU Secretary General Maxim Mitrofanov — on dialogue with FIFA and UEFA

On April 3, the president of the International Football Federation (FIFA), Gianni Infantino, said that the organization hopes for the return of Russia soon. He also stressed that the essence of football is not to separate, but to unite people wherever they are.