FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said he believes Russia should be allowed back into international football after its suspension following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. In an interview with Sky, Infantino argued the ban “has not achieved anything” and has only increased “frustration and hatred,” adding that allowing Russian children to play matches elsewhere in Europe would be a positive step.
Russia was suspended from international football after it invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The national team was expelled from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and was not involved in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. Since the 2018 World Cup—the last major competitive tournament in which the men’s team took part—Russia’s senior side has only played friendlies. UEFA briefly considered readmitting Russia’s under-17 teams in 2023 to avoid punishing children for political decisions, but reversed that plan after pressure from several national associations.
UEFA’s executive committee, which has the authority to restore Russian clubs and national teams to its competitions, is due to meet on February 11. UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin has said Russia would need to end its invasion of Ukraine before being allowed back into competitive football.
Ukraine’s sports minister, Matvii Bidnyi, strongly condemned Infantino’s remarks, calling them “irresponsible — not to say infantile,” and arguing they disconnect sport from the reality in which Ukrainian children are being killed. Bidnyi accused Russia of using sport to justify aggression and backed warnings from the Ukrainian Association of Football against Russia’s readmission, saying Russian flags and symbols should not stand alongside those of nations that respect justice, integrity and fair play while the violence continues.
Shortly after Infantino’s comments, Ukrainian officials reported that strikes on Kyiv had resumed, citing casualties, damage to energy infrastructure and emergency heating interruptions after a cold-weather truce ended.
The status of Russian athletes at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Italy remains unchanged: competitors from Russia and Belarus may only participate as Individual Neutral Athletes under a special IOC designation applied to athletes from suspended national committees. Neutral status is granted selectively under strict IOC criteria intended to ensure athletes are not connected to the political or military actions behind the bans. So far, 13 Russian athletes and seven Belarusians have been approved to compete as neutrals in Milan–Cortina.
The issue has been further complicated by reports that the Russian Olympic Committee assumed control of sports bodies in occupied Ukrainian territories, an action the IOC said crossed a legal boundary. By contrast, Russia sent far larger contingents to recent Games under neutral or committee labels: about 160 athletes in 2018 competing as “Olympic Athletes from Russia” (17 medals) and more than 200 athletes in 2022 under the “Russian Olympic Committee” banner (32 medals). Russia invaded Ukraine four days after the conclusion of the Beijing Games.
Edited by: Matt Pearson