In the RFU said about the “rapprochement of positions” with UEFA on the admission of the Russian team
RFU Secretary General Mitrofanov said that the Russian side and colleagues from UEFA have a common understanding of the discrepancy between the sporting values of such measures as boycott and suspension. He expressed hope that the IOC position will help in the admission of the national team
Negotiations on the return of the Russian national teams with UEFA members are complex and go with varying success, said RFU Secretary General Maxim Mitrofanov, quoted by Match TV.
At the recent meeting of the heads of national federations and UEFA in Berlin, we also discussed this issue. Let’s put it this way: the positions have become closer, and there is a common understanding that things like boycott or suspension do not correspond to sports and Olympic principles, Mitrofanov said.
The level of influence of football on public life is not comparable with any other sport, the reverse side of which is its politicization.
Nevertheless, the decisions of the International Olympic Committee regarding Russian and Belarusian athletes are very positive trends. I am sure that FIFA and UEFA will also take them into account in their activities, the RFU Secretary General added.
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin explained at the end of August that if his organization allowed the Russians, “a lot of federations wouldn’t be able to play or they wouldn’t be allowed to play,” and then you could “just close the door.”.
Russian national teams have been suspended since 2022 due to the military operation in Ukraine and only play friendly matches.
