German defender NHL supported the return of Russia to the world Cup in hockey

The captain of the German national hockey team and a player of the defense club NHL “Detroit Red Wings” Moritz Seider spoke in support of the return of Russian hockey players to the upcoming World Cup. The athlete shared his position in an interview with the German publication Augsburger Allgemeine.

According to the hockey player, this issue should be approached comprehensively and openly discussed, since the main goal of any major tournament is to gather the strongest masters on the ice. Seider noted that if the teams of Russia and Belarus are among the best, then the players will be sincerely happy with their presence, although without them in recent years the competitions were held at a decent level.

As a positive example, he cited the National Hockey League, stressing that it manages to maintain the highest level of competition and at the same time maintain a peaceful working atmosphere. At the same time, the defender acknowledged the obvious political component in this discussion and expressed relief that the final verdict is not made by the hockey players themselves. Seider also added that he sincerely hopes that the disagreements around the composition of the participants will not jeopardize the very holding of the world championship.

The reason for the discussions was the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) of October 30, which ordered the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) to return Russian teams to the international arena. The IIHF itself did not hide its disappointment with this outcome of the case, promising to urgently examine the legal consequences of the document. The World Cup itself will be held from 14 to 30 May 2027 at the German arenas in Düsseldorf and Mannheim.

The prospect of a return of Russians has caused a sharp polarization in the hockey world. The readiness to boycott matches against the Russian national team has already been announced by the federations of six countries - Finland, Sweden, Norway, the Czech Republic, Denmark and Latvia. Open support for Russian athletes was expressed only by the hockey authorities of Slovakia and Belarus. At the same time, Prague and Ottawa threatened to close entry for Russian players, denying them visas to tournaments hosted by these countries.

The position of the authorities of Germany, hosting the World Cup-2027, was ambivalent: the state Minister for the development of sports of Germany Ronald Rauche assured that Berlin will not fix visa obstacles to the Russians, but will continue to exert political pressure on the IIHF on their admission.

Recall that the ban on the participation of Russian teams in tournaments under the auspices of the IIHF has been in force since 2022. Last July, the International Federation extended these sanctions for the 2026/27 season, justifying its decision on security grounds.

In the European country expressed readiness to let the Russian team at the World Cup-2027.

The priest of the Russian Orthodox Church gave the go-ahead for marriages of Russian women with foreigners.