FIFA has started the process of Russia’s return. We know what will happen!

Recall that the IOC decided to lift all suspensions imposed on the Russian Olympic Committee. And although the war in Ukraine is still ongoing and its end is not in sight, there are many indications that Russia and Belarus will return to international sports competition.

After the International Olympic Committee, FIFA will take up the Russian issue. The world’s largest football organization, which currently manages the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

Is Russia returning to world football? FIFA and UEFA have a different position

More and more global media are writing about FIFA’s moves in the context of Russia’s return to international football. Such reports included, among others: via Sky News journalists.

Although paradoxically, the return of the Russian national team to international competition does not have to be so obvious in the here and now. Although the world’s football federations are divided, the Russians will encounter considerable resistance on the Old Continent. UEFA is also in opposition to what is happening within FIFA structures.

Therefore, it can be assumed that even if Gianni Infantino decides to open up opportunities for sports competition for Russia and Belarus, there is no reason to expect that these teams will take part in the qualifying rounds for next year’s Euro 2028, starting in 2027. A realistic scenario for the Russians? World Cup 2030.

Sport24.ru lists 18 federations that are lobbying very hard to maintain the sanctions. These are England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Ukraine, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, as well as Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland. In Europe, only Serbia, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Kazakhstan and Belarus are said to be in favor of restoring Russia. The rest, however, simply say “no”, and the topic of sanctions itself is not to be that important for these federations. If Infantino had dealt with the issue of restoring Russia a year before the elections, he could have lost a lot in the eyes of a large number of activists from Europe. It is not impossible that they would start promoting another candidate who would be more favorable to their position – we read in the text on the website of the Polish Institute of Sports Diplomacy.

Overall, however, it is still difficult to understand how the International Olympic Committee concluded that the situation in Russia and Belarus has changed in any way compared to what has been happening continuously since the end of 2022 in Ukraine. The arguments that appeared in the official position of the leadership of the Olympic movement are difficult to rationally explain – in comparison with the daily, shocking reports of brutal war attacks beyond our eastern border.