MOSCOW, June 28. /TASS/. The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) reiterated on Wednesday that it had barred Crimean football clubs from participating in tournaments organized by the Russian Football Union (RFU), according to UEFA’s press office.

The press office of the Ukrainian Football Association (UFA) reported on June 25 that it had requested the International Football Federation (FIFA) and UEFA strip the RFU of its membership in these organizations. The UFA claimed in its statement that Russia had already integrated football clubs from Crimea into its national tournaments.

"With regards to the situation in Crimea, and following from the decision of the UEFA Emergency Panel of 22 August 2014, the UEFA Executive Committee decided to prohibit Crimean clubs to play in competitions organized by the Russian Football Union (RFU) as from 1 January 2015 and for the region to be considered as a ‘special zone’ for football purposes until further notice," the statement from UEFA’s press service reads.

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.