Ukraine delighted after Uefa upholds ban on Russia’s under-17 teams

FILE - This picture shows the UEFA logo at the organisation's headquarters in Nyon. Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP

FILE - This picture shows the UEFA logo at the organisation's headquarters in Nyon. Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP

Published Oct 10, 2023

Share

European football's governing body UEFA said Tuesday it had abandoned plans to re-admit Russian under-17 teams into the youth European Championship next year.

"No technical solution to allow Russian teams to play could be found," UEFA said.

In September, UEFA reinstated Russian youth teams to its competitions, having suspended the country's senior sides due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

UEFA argued that youth players should not have to pay the price for the actions of adults.

That decision sparked anger in Kyiv, which said in response it would boycott all UEFA competitions featuring Russian teams.

On Tuesday, Kyiv thanked UEFA for scrapping the plans, saying it would "fight for the continuation of the isolation" of Russia.

"We thank our European partners for supporting Ukraine," Ukraine's football association said in a statement.

AFP