The ban on Russian football will soon be lifted, according to Infantino
On Thursday, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said he hoped Russia will soon be permitted to play football again because it would be an indication that the conflict in Ukraine was coming to an end.
Russian clubs and the national team have been excluded from FIFA and UEFA competitions since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
At the 49th UEFA Congress in Belgrade, Infantino stated, “As peace talks in Ukraine continue, I hope that we can soon move to the next page, bring back, as well, Russia in the football landscape because this would mean that everything is solved.”
Due to the fact that football is about that, that is what we must pray for and applaud for. It’s about bringing girls and boys together and bringing individuals from all walks of life together, not about dividing them.
Infantino’s comments were repeated by UEFA’s Aleksander Ceferin.
“(Russia) will be readmitted when the war stops,” Ceferin stated during the closing press conference at the UEFA Congress.
Ceferin said he was firmly opposed to a suggestion FIFA was exploring to increase the number of teams in the 2030 World Cup to 64 in honor of the centennial of the sport’s top game.
The tournament, which is being hosted by Morocco, Spain, and Portugal, will feature three matches in Uruguay, the location of the first World Cup in 1930, Argentina, and Paraguay.
According to the New York Times, the one-time expansion was proposed at last month’s FIFA Council by Ignacio Alonso, head of the Uruguayan FA.
Ceferin remarked, “I think I was even more surprised by this proposal than you were.”
It’s a horrible concept, in my opinion. It’s not a smart idea, in my opinion, for either the World Cup or our qualifying tournaments.
Therefore, I oppose that notion. I have no idea where it originated. It’s odd that we were unaware of anything prior to this FIFA Council suggestion.
For the upcoming World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, the number of teams has already been raised from 32 to 48.
This year’s Club World Cup has drawn criticism for giving players a hectic summer, but Ceferin did not disagree.
“Now, that’s it,” Ceferin stated, referring to the Club World Cup. “I don’t see his kind of competition to our competition, and clubs from Europe wanted it.” Some of the players will play in more matches.
In the United States, the Club World Cup takes place from June 14 to July 13.
