Ukraine football legend Andriy Shevchenko held a tense meeting with FIFA president Gianni Infantino in Brussels on Wednesday, demanding the global governing body maintain its suspension of Russian national and club teams from international competitions.
The former Chelsea and AC Milan striker, now president of the Ukrainian Association of Football, confronted Infantino at the UEFA congress, weeks after the FIFA chief suggested the ban should be reassessed. Shevchenko told the Daily Mirror: 'We sat down. He listened. I conveyed my talking points.' He added that 'it is not the right time to bring back Russia' and 'the situation remains unchanged' with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine approaching its fourth anniversary.
Infantino sparked outrage last week when he told Sky Sports the ban 'has not achieved anything' and 'has just created more frustration and hatred'. He proposed reintegrating Russian youth teams, saying 'having girls and boys from Russia being able to play football games in other parts of Europe would help.' Ukraine's sports minister, Matvii Bidnyi, branded Infantino's comments 'irresponsible' and 'infantile', noting that more than 650 Ukrainian athletes and coaches have been killed since the invasion began.
All Russian national and club sides were suspended by FIFA and UEFA in February 2022, and there is no sign of a reversal. Shevchenko also expressed dismay at the International Olympic Committee's disqualification of Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych for wearing a helmet depicting Ukrainian athletes killed in the war, stating: 'We support our athletes! Always!' A senior FIFA official described the meeting with Shevchenko as 'constructive'.
