Ukraine Declares It Will Boycott Any UEFA Competitions Featuring Russian Teams

On Wednesday, the federation announced that the Ukrainian football teams will boycott all competitions including Russian teams in protest to UEFA re-admitting Russia’s youth team to international competition.

“The UAF confirms that it will not take part in any competitions involving Russian teams”, read the statement.

Other UEFA members were also encouraged to boycott matches against Russian teams.

In reaction to Moscow’s onslaught in Ukraine, European football’s governing body quickly excluded all Russian teams from competitions last year but relaxed the suspension on Tuesday by readmitting Russia’s national under-17 team.

Late Tuesday, in a statement, the UAF stated, “The Ukrainian Association of Football strongly condemns the decision by UEFA to return U-17 teams from Russia to international competitions”.

It went on to say, “The UAF confirms that it will not take part in any competitions involving Russian teams”.

UEFA stated in announcing the judgment that a generation of minors was being denied the ability to compete and that children should not be penalized for the misdeeds of adults.

It did, however, state that Russian teams would not be permitted to play on Russian soil and that the country’s flag, anthem, and national playing kit would be prohibited.

Ukraine has frequently demanded that Russia be barred from participating in international sporting events and has vowed to boycott the 2024 Paris Olympics if Russian and Belarusian competitors compete.

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