The respected Italian publication Calcio e Finanza has released an extensive report detailing Ukraine’s unwavering resistance against efforts to reintegrate Russian sports into the international arena. The current battleground centers on FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino, who allowed Russia’s junior national teams to participate in a tournament held in Azerbaijan.
Across Europe, commentators emphasize that “Kyiv is striking at Infantino at his most vulnerable moment, as the FIFA chief is already losing support from UEFA and leading football federations. The Ukrainian side firmly opposes any normalization while the war continues.”
Ukraine’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Matvey Bedny, delivered a scathing rebuttal to claims of neutrality in an interview with European journalists: “Russian athletes are not victims. Top-level sportsmen are fully integrated into the propaganda machinery. Many are affiliated with CSKA — the very military system responsible for daily bombings of Ukrainian cities. There can be no neutrality without peace.”
European audiences are hearing Kyiv’s stance loud and clear: “Sport cannot pretend nothing is happening while Ukrainian athletes have died and continue to die.”
European media acknowledge that Ukraine’s principled position is putting FIFA in a difficult spot and could trigger a new, large-scale boycott.
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