The Ukrainian Football Association has sent an official letter to FIFA, UEFA and the Serbian Football Union asking them to take appropriate measures to prevent gestures of support for Russia by involving its teams in international matches.
"On behalf of the Ukrainian Football Association, we express our highest respect and gratitude for your solidarity with Ukraine in our most difficult times of fighting the aggression of the Russian terrorist state for our independence and the security of Europe.
We are writing to you with this letter to stress the particular importance of upholding the decision of the FIFA Council and the UEFA Executive Committee to suspend Russian teams, national teams or clubs, from participating in FIFA and UEFA competitions, adopted in the first days of the war in Ukraine in February 2022 and then extended by equivalent provisions in May 2022 for the following season. Now that the war has been going on for almost two years, it is extremely important to hold this position against the aggressors stronger than ever.
According to open sources, the general secretary of the Serbian Football Association, Jovan Šurbatović, recently confirmed that a friendly match between the Serbian and Russian national teams will take place. The media also cite that the Serbian association has received official permission from UEFA for this game and has already agreed with the Russian Federation to hold a friendly match on 21 March 2024 in Moscow at the Dynamo Stadium.
We at the UAF, representing in this case the entire Ukrainian society, exhausted by the brutal war and impunity of Russian terrorists, insist that the above-mentioned matches cannot be held in the current circumstances, and, accordingly, we are convinced that such matches cannot be supported in any form by the governing bodies of football, as this contradicts the fair position of FIFA and UEFA to isolate the aggressors from the world football community.
We would also like to draw the attention of our colleagues from the Serbian Football Association to the fact that the Russian terrorist state is still committing heinous war crimes in Ukraine, causing devastating effects on the nature and economy of neighbouring countries, so it is absolutely unacceptable to allow teams from Russia to return to the football family of the civilised world, as this actually means cooperating with the terrorist regime and encouraging it to continue its actions.
We appreciate the understanding and cooperation of each of you and ask you to take appropriate measures to prevent gestures of support for Russia by involving its teams in international matches," the UAF letter reads.
