In his message, Sibiga emphasized that 679 Ukrainian children will not be able to play football because Russia has killed them and continues to kill. He expressed dissatisfaction with Infantino's proposal to lift the bans despite the ongoing war. "Future generations will consider this a disgrace, similar to the 1936 Olympic Games," he wrote in his social media post.
Russian teams were suspended from participating in competitions under the auspices of FIFA and UEFA after the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022. According to The Times, FIFA does not plan to hold a vote on the issue of returning Russian teams.
Infantino also spoke against excluding Israel from tournaments, stating that such a decision is a defeat. In his opinion, the organization should review its rules and enshrine in its charter that no country should be banned from participating in football due to the actions of its political leaders. Football, in his view, should serve as a means of building connections.
According to Gianni Infantino, FIFA should establish in its rules that participation in football should not be restricted due to the political decisions of a country's leaders.
