The Ukrainian Football Association (UAF) asked the European football federations to boycott the matches of the Russian under-17 teamsafter it was announced that they would be allowed to compete in UEFA competitions.
Following a meeting of the UEFA Executive Committee last Tuesday, it was decided that Russian under-17 teams will be able to participate in men’s and women’s competitions, but without using a crest, anthem or flag. European football’s governing body said in a statement that “children should not be punished” for the conflict and that football “should never stop sending messages of peace and hope”.
Russian national teams and clubs have been excluded from UEFA and FIFA competitions since the end of February due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In a statement, the UAF said it was “more than concerned.” for “the admission of Russian under-17 teams to participate in international competitions, driven by the fact that Russian children and young people are discriminated against by the deprivation of international football.”
“However, this actually contradicts UEFA’s commitment to combating violence and aggression, since according to official UN (United Nations) statistics alone: more than 1,600 Ukrainian children, from newborn to young, were killed or injured by Russian terrorists (including young footballers),” the Ukrainian football association noted in its statement.
The football federations of England, Poland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway declared that they would no longer compete against Russia, while the UAF called on other European countries to join the boycott, calling the partial lifting of the ban a “dangerous and frightening trend.”
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