The Secretary General of the Ukrainian Football Association Ihor Hryshchenko commented on the events at the April UEFA Congress in Belgrade and talked about the active position of the UAF in Europe and the world regarding preventing the return of Russian football to the international arena.
Ihor Hryshchenko (photo: D. Balashov)"I think it is worth starting with an explanation of what the UEFA Executive Committee is. It is the governing body of European football that makes decisions on the management of competitions at the continental level. Therefore, I want to immediately reassure the fans of Ukrainian football: Andriy Shevchenko’s non-inclusion in the committee will in no way affect the development of football in Ukraine and the implementation of the reforms that he and his team initiated after last year’s UAF Congress," Hryshchenko noted in the broadcast of "The First Channel of Public Broadcasting."
Speaking about the congress itself, he emphasized: "For the last year and a half, the key question in the relationship between the UAF and UEFA has been the possible return or non-return of Russian teams to participate in European competitions. The first attempt for such a return took place a year and a half ago - it was about youth competitions for under 17 years. But thanks to a coalition of 13 countries that decisively opposed it, this decision was blocked."
Hryshchenko also reminded that the full suspension of Russia from competitions only occurred in 2022 - despite the fact that the war in Ukraine has been ongoing since 2014. The driving forces behind this were Poland and Sweden, which refused to play against Russia in the World Cup qualifiers. This threatened the tournament’s organization, and that is why UEFA had to act.
"The question of the return of Russians was raised in September 2023. Thanks to the active position of member countries, it was removed from consideration. Again, discussions took place in September 2024 at the meeting of the presidents and secretaries-general of European associations, where together with Andriy Shevchenko, we categorically opposed it. This yielded results—the question was blocked again," said the UAF Secretary General.
Hryshchenko emphasized that until 2022, the issue of the exclusion of Russia was not even raised, and only the ultimatum position of a number of countries forced UEFA to act. At the same time, Russia still remains a member of UEFA, just like Belarus. And, unfortunately, there are countries that support their return.
"This is one of the political moments that Andriy Shevchenko mentioned in his comments regarding the elections to the UEFA Executive Committee. It’s a pity, but I cannot help but mention another aspect: some representatives of the previous UAF leadership opposed Shevchenko’s election, attempting to discredit him. I cannot disclose details at this moment due to confidentiality, but such facts took place," Hryshchenko said.
He also added that during the September meeting, the UAF managed to convey to their partners the message: the return of Russia cannot even be discussed while combat operations are ongoing. And currently, according to Hryshchenko, UEFA’s position does not foresee a review of this issue.
Another painful topic was the question of preserving the integrity of competitions and the safety of their conduct. The UAF Secretary General reminded that last week, the UAF Executive Committee adopted an official statement on the inadmissibility of discussing the return of Russia. Letters were also sent to UEFA and national associations with arguments in favor of maintaining sanctions.
"We drew attention to the fact that Russia is still receiving solidarity payments from UEFA, that its clubs, despite not participating in competitions, are still being awarded coefficients. Also, clubs from occupied territories of Crimea, Donbas, and Zaporizhzhia, despite the prohibitions, are participating in competitions under the auspices of the Russian Football Union. Unfortunately, not all questions receive answers," Hryshchenko stated.
The UAF Secretary General also emphasized: "We need to talk about all kinds of sports. The situation with the International Olympic Committee shows that in many federations, Russians are already being allowed back. But UEFA, fortunately, has maintained its position since 2022. And we will continue to work to preserve it. Ukraine has become the core of the coalition against it - and we will not retreat."
