Former professional footballer Sergei Kiryakov, who once wore the colors of Hamburg and Karlsruhe, has voiced a view about UEFA’s openness to the idea of Russian teams returning to European competition formats. His remarks were reported by TASS.
He stated that he welcomes the potential move and hopes it can be implemented. Kiryakov noted that some nations maintain boycotts against Russia, and he urged UEFA to take a firm stance on the issue, arguing that policy disagreements should not affect the protection of minors. He suggested that this could mark the first step toward the reintroduction of Russian clubs at the senior level, asserting that UEFA is examining ways to ensure Russian teams participate in its tournaments and that the Russian Football Union would not consider relocating competitions to Asia.
On September 26, the UEFA Executive Committee granted approval for Russian national teams consisting of players aged 17 and under to take part in international events. The teams would compete without displaying flags or playing national anthems, with matches scheduled abroad.
In the wake of this decision, several nations—England, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Northern Ireland, Latvia, Poland, and Ukraine—announced boycotts of matches featuring the Russian national teams. The broader participation of Russia’s teams in international play at all ages remained suspended into the spring of 2022.
Earlier, Vyacheslav Koloskov offered an assessment of the next opponent in Russia’s football program, sharing a view on the level and readiness of that team.