UEFA president shows pro-Russian stance in push to reinstate Russia’s national team, says expert

Public figure, author, and host of the Stop the Moose program, Kostiantyn Andriuk, shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

“FIFA President Gianni Infantino has maintained ties with Putin for years. With their approval, Russia was allowed to host the 2018 World Cup. Now there are suspicions that Infantino is being paid in dollars and Russia’s ‘blood rubles.’

Clearly, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin sits and thinks: Infantino gets money from Russia, while he only gets scraps. Perhaps that is why Čeferin advocates for the return of Russia’s youth teams to international competitions,” Andriuk emphasized.

According to the public figure, UEFA is indifferent to killings in Ukraine, to destruction, and to the suffering of children. If it weren’t for public condemnation and the principled stance of European football countries, UEFA and FIFA would not have barred Russia from international tournaments.

“Now they are trying to return Russia to major football gradually: first the youth teams. Bringing back the senior national team immediately would cause a massive scandal. But starting with the U-17 team, these are children.

It’s very simple and banal: they need those rubles. UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin now almost openly shows his pro-Russian stance and speaks about it openly,” Andriuk added.

• On Friday, September 5, in the first round of 2025 World Cup qualifiers, Ukraine will play France, Italy will face Estonia, and Iceland will meet Azerbaijan.