All news

Sweden bans Russian women from qualifying for UEFA U-17 football championships

The UEFA Executive Committee previously allowed Russian national teams with players under 17 years of age to participate in their competitions

TASS, September 27. The organizers of the 2024 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship in Sweden will not allow the Russian team to participate in the tournament, the press service of the Swedish Football Association reports.

"In the opinion of the board of the federation, the Swedish national team (adult and youth) still should not play matches against Russia either in Sweden or abroad. We fully support the position agreed upon by the Swedish Sports Confederation together with the Swedish Olympic Committee, Paralympic Committee and specialized sports federations: Russian and Belarusian athletes should not be allowed to participate in international competitions while the conflict in Ukraine continues. In May 2024, the last leg of the European Championship will be held in Sweden. In accordance with the above, we will not allow the Russian national team to participate in this tournament," the statement reads.

On Tuesday, the executive committee of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) decided to allow Russian national teams with players under 17 to play in its competitions. All matches played by Russian teams must be held without the country's flag, anthem, national uniforms and not on Russian territory. The UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship will be held from May 5 to 18 in Sweden.

Qualifying, the draw for which has already taken place, will start in October. The UEFA Executive Committee has asked the organization's administration to propose a technical solution that would allow Russia's U-17 national teams to be reinstated during the current season, even if the draw has already been made.

On February 28, 2022, FIFA and UEFA suspended Russian clubs and national teams from participating in international competitions due to the situation in Ukraine.

Tags