Plans to reintegrate the Russian national football team into the international football community have faced a new obstacle. One of the informal initiatives to lift Russia’s sporting isolation was disrupted following a phone call between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and FIFA President Gianni Infantino. During the conversation, the Ukrainian head of state expressed a clear stance against any attempts to restore Russia’s participation in competitions under the organization’s umbrella,
reports the Baltimore Chronicle.
According to the source, Zelensky personally reached out to Infantino to emphasize the inadmissibility of Russia’s return to international football while its military aggression against Ukraine continues. This move significantly influenced the internal discussions within FIFA. The initiative, which had been promoted by certain officials inside the federation, lost support from the majority after Ukraine’s diplomatic intervention.
Although no official decision on Russia has been made yet, internal pressure and political messaging reportedly forced FIFA to pause its review of the issue regarding the potential reinstatement of Russian national teams and clubs in international tournaments. FIFA representatives have not publicly commented on the matter so far.
Earlier we wrote that Belarus returns to international tournaments with full national symbols.