UEFA revokes decision allowing Russia's U-17 squads at int’l tournaments
Baku, October 11, AZERTAC
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has revoked its decision to allow Russia’s Under-17 national teams to play at its international tournaments, the press service of the organization told TASS on Tuesday.
"The agenda point was withdrawn as no technical solution to allow Russian teams to play could be found," the UEFA press service said.
The news about UEFA revoking its decision was reported earlier in the day by Sky News correspondent Rob Harris, who said on his page on the X social network (formerly Twitter): "UEFA drops plan to end blanket ban on Russian football teams after backlash. UEFA planned to allow U17s sides back for Euros qualifiers." Harris added that "UEFA saying ‘no technical solution to allow Russian teams to play could be found’."
Commenting on the decision, Head Coach of Russia’s national football squad Valery Karpin said it was "unexpected."
"I did not expect that we [Russia] would be allowed to play and I did not expect that it [the decision] would be canceled. At first they allowed us to play, but then reversed the decision, which was really unexpected," Karpin told journalists.
On September 26, UEFA announced a decision to allow Russia's junior national football teams, both the boys and girls under 17 teams, to participate in international matches, but not on the territory of Russia, and without the national flag and the national uniform.
Following UEFA’s decision, the football associations of England, Ukraine, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Romania stated their intention to boycott all matches against Russia’s U-17 national teams.
The world’s governing football body, FIFA, announced on October 4 that it had also cleared Russia’s U-17 national football teams to compete internationally. Footballers were allowed to play under the name the ‘Russian Football Union (RFU), rather than ‘Russia,’ without their national flag, anthem, and national-team kit and equipment.
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