The 'U-15 World Cup and Festival' is taking place in Azerbaijan from October 22 to 31. FIFA has stated that it is an open competition for all.
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After more than four years, world football's top governing body FIFA has indicated that it will open the way for Russia to play in international youth competitions. Russia has been banned from playing in world football since its reprehensible invasion of Ukraine.
The 'U-15 World Cup and Festival' is being held in Azerbaijan from October 22 to 31. FIFA has said that it is an open competition for all. Although Russia's national teams and clubs have been banned from international competitions since 2022, FIFA has not suspended the Russian Football Union.
A FIFA spokesman did not directly name Russia when asked by AFP. However, he said that the competition in Azerbaijan is open to all FIFA member nations. It said that information about the structure of the competition and the participating countries would be provided later.
Russia has taken this as an explanation for its return to international football. "We welcome FIFA's decision to allow the Russian national team to participate in the World Cup and the FIFA U-15 Festival, which will be held in Azerbaijan in October. This will be an important step for Russia to return to international sports," Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev said on social media.
The move is expected to lift the ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes. The International Olympic Committee decided to lift the ban on Belarus in May.
