Published 02/03/2026 13:42
FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated that he intends to evaluate the end of the boycott imposed on Russia in international football and argued that “exclusions have not brought anything good”.
The statement was made in an interview with Sky News and released this Monday (2), amid the debate about the maintenance of sporting sanctions applied since 2022.
Russia and its clubs have been suspended from competitions organized by FIFA and UEFA since the start of the war in Ukraine. The measure prevented the Russian team from competing in the Qatar World Cup, the 2026 Qualifiers and continental tournaments.
According to Infantino, the ban policy “didn’t achieve anything” and ended up generating “more frustration and hatred.”
“We definitely have to analyze this,” said the leader when asked whether he will explore Russia’s reintegration.
“This ban has only created more frustration and hatred,” he said, adding that allowing young Russians to return to international matches would “help” reduce tensions.
Infantino also defended the review of the entity’s internal rules to prevent national teams from being punished for decisions made by their governments. According to him, FIFA “should not ban countries for the actions of political leaders”, reinforcing the thesis that football should function as a meeting space in a world marked by divisions.
In 2023, FIFA and UEFA partially relaxed restrictions to allow Russian under-17 teams to participate under a neutral flag and without national symbols, although the measure faced resistance from European federations.
Since then, the Russian senior team has only played friendlies, outside the official calendar of international competitions.
The possibility of reinstatement occurs at a time when the debate on sporting sanctions is expanding in different modalities. In the Olympic movement, Russian and Belarusian athletes have been competing under neutral status, following decisions by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Source: vermelho.org.br
