Ukraine's sports minister Matvii Bidnyi has launched a scathing attack on Fifa president Gianni Infantino, branding his suggestion to reconsider Russia's football ban as "irresponsible - not to say infantile".
The condemnation came after Infantino said the suspension, imposed by Fifa and Uefa following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, should "definitely" be lifted, "at least at youth level".
The Fifa chief said the prohibition had "not achieved anything" and had merely generated "more frustration and hatred."
Bidnyi responded on Tuesday: "Gianni Infantino's words sound irresponsible - not to say infantile. They detach football from the reality in which children are being killed."
The Ukrainian minister's statement directly challenged Infantino's assertion that allowing Russian youngsters to participate in European matches would prove beneficial.
Bidnyi emphasised the human cost of Russia's aggression on Ukrainian sport, revealing that more than 650 athletes and coaches have perished since the full-scale invasion began.
Among the dead are over 100 footballers, the minister stated.
He cited the case of Illia Perezhogin, a tenth-grade pupil from Mariupol who lost his life when a Russian missile struck while he was playing football at his school stadium.
Ukraine's sports minister Matvii Bidnyi has launched a scathing attack on Fifa president Gianni Infantino
|PA
Another victim was Viktoriia Kotliarova, a former futsal player who died alongside her mother during the bombardment of Kyiv on December 29, 2023.
She had won the Kyiv Student Futsal Cup and triumphed in the Dynamo Student League tournament.
Bidnyi said: "War is a crime, not politics. It is Russia that politicises sport and uses it to justify aggression."
Infantino maintained that permitting Russian boys and girls to compete in football matches across Europe "would help" the situation.
LATEST SPORT NEWS
Fifa president Gianni Infantino suggested the ban on Russia should be lifted
|GETTY
The Swiss administrator received the Order of Friendship medal from President Vladimir Putin after Russia hosted the 2018 World Cup.
Since the ban took effect, Russia has been excluded from the 2022 World Cup, Euro 2024, and will not feature at the 2026 World Cup.
However, Russian teams have continued playing international fixtures against non-Western nations without requiring approval from Fifa or Uefa.
Bidnyi said he shared the Ukrainian Association of Football's position warning against Russia's readmission to international competitions.
The suspension was imposed by Fifa and Uefa following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022
|GETTY
He said: "As long as Russians continue killing Ukrainians and politicising sport, their flag and national symbols have no place among people who respect values such as justice, integrity, and fair play."
The Fifa Council announced in December plans for a new under-15 festival, with a boys' competition scheduled for this year and a girls' event in 2027.
The announcement followed an Olympic Summit recommendation for international sports federations to permit Russian teams to compete under their national flag at youth level.
Fifa confirmed the events would be open to all 211 member associations.
Russia were banned from football after the country invaded Ukraine back in 2022 | GETTYRussian Football Union president Alexander Dyukov expressed optimism on Boxing Day.
He said that he expected international football regulators to make decisions allowing Russian teams back into official competitions, indicating Fifa and Uefa viewed the IOC's recommendation positively.
Dyukov said he planned to attend the Uefa Congress in Brussels this week to discuss Russia's return.
However, senior European football figures remain doubtful about lifting the ban in practice, fearing other teams would refuse to face Russia until a lasting political settlement ends the conflict.
Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter