"Europe is closed": Russia denies returning to UEFA tournaments

The European Football Union (UEFA) was unable to return Russian youth teams to its tournaments for technical reasons. The decision to include representatives of the aggressor country in the competition, which was discussed at the end of last year, has been postponed indefinitely.

This was stated by the Honorary President of the Russian Football Union (RFU) in an interview with Sport24. The official said that the main reason for UEFA's refusal to return Russian boys to its tournaments was the inability of teams from Russia to travel to other countries due to sanctions.

"UEFA considered the possibility of allowing Russian youth teams to participate in European tournaments, but it is technically impossible to implement this decision. Trains are not running, planes are not flying, visas are not available - Europe is closed. The organization had the desire, no one put pressure on them, but technically it was impossible to fulfill, so the decision to allow our young men to participate in UEFA tournaments has not been canceled, but postponed," Koloskov said.

Earlier, Russia said that youth teams would be able to play in tournaments under the auspices of UEFA again in 2024. Earlier, former Russian national team player Roman Shirokov threatening UEFA and talking about a "winning country," said that the Russians would return to European football tournaments on their own terms.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, the executive committee of the Russian Federation decided to refuse to join the Asian Confederation (ACF), complaining that no one gives guarantees of returning to international competitions. It also became known that a friendly match between Russia and Serbia will be held.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!