FIFA boss Infantino supports lifting ban on RussiaReutersFIFA president Gianni Infantino said he wants Russia’s four-year ban from international tournaments lifted, because it had “achieved nothing.”Russian clubs and the national team have been suspended from FIFA and UEFA competitions since the country invaded Ukraine in February 2022. “This ban has not achieved anything, it has just created more frustration and hatred,” Infantino told Sky Sports. “Having girls and boys from Russia being able to play football games in other parts of Europe would help.”FIFA president Gianni Infantino gestures upon his arrival in Managua on Friday. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has maintained the war in Ukraine needs to end for Russia to be reinstated, echoing the statements at the UEFA Congress closing news conference in April last year. Infantino also defended FIFA’s decision to award a peace prize to US President Donald Trump at the World Cup draw.

Source: Taipei Times February 03, 2026 17:13 UTC