MOSCOW, June 28. /TASS/. Russian nationals wishing to serve as volunteers at the 2024 UEFA (the Union of European Football Associations) Championship can now put in their applications, UEFA’s press service announced to TASS on Wednesday.

"The UEFA Euro-2024 Volunteer Program is open to everyone," the statement reads. "The application phase for the program started on June 14."

"[Some] 16,000 volunteers are being searched for the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament in a joint program between UEFA and the ten host cities," the statement added.

The 2024 UEFA Euro Cup is scheduled to be played in Germany between June 14 and July 14 and matches of this prestigious European football tournament will be hosted by German cities Berlin, Dortmund, Munich, Cologne, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Leipzig, Frankfurt, Gelsenkirchen and Dusseldorf.

Russia’s football ban

The International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) announced on February 28, 2022 that the Russian national team and all professional clubs representing the country were barred from taking part in FIFA tournaments.

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) made the same decision in regard to the Russian national football team’s participation in UEFA tournaments.

Both FIFA and UEFA cited Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine as being the reason for their decisions.