Infantino opposes 2026 World Cup boycott, backs Russia’s return | OneFootball

FIFA President Gianni Infantino believes that a boycott of the World Cup games in the United States, supported by European leaders to denounce Donald Trump's threats, will only bring “more hatred,” and he expressed support for the return of Russia and its clubs to competitions.

“I am against bans and boycotts. I believe they bring nothing, they simply contribute to more hatred,” Infantino stated in an interview with the British television network Sky News.

The head of the world's top football organization drew a parallel with the significant trade relations between the United Kingdom and the United States. “Is anyone asking the UK to stop trading with the United States? I haven't heard anything like that. So, why football?” questioned Infantino.

“In our divided and aggressive world, occasions are needed for people to come together around the passion for football,” added the 55-year-old leader.

In January, calls for a boycott of the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by Canada, the United States, and Mexico, emerged in Germany. The requests appeared as a reaction to the tensions caused by the American president's desire to acquire Greenland and the threats of increased customs tariffs against opposing European states.

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Defense of the Peace Prize to Trump

The anti-immigration policy of the American government and the methods of the immigration police in Minneapolis have sparked outrage in the country and worldwide. They have also raised concerns about the safety conditions for the thousands of fans expected in the summer in the United States.

Infantino also defended his criticized decision to award, in December, the first “FIFA Peace Prize” to Trump. The FIFA leader claims that the president is responsible for ending several military conflicts since his return to power in January 2025.

“Objectively, he deserves it,” stated the Italian-Swiss leader, who has shown alignment with the American president on repeated occasions.

In favor of Russia's reentry

Infantino also expressed support for the reentry of Russia and its clubs into international competitions, from which they were excluded after the start of the Russian army's offensive in Ukraine in February 2022.

Although the conflict is ongoing, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recently recommended that sports federations allow Russian teams to participate in non-professional junior competitions.

“This exclusion brought nothing; it only generated more frustration and hatred. The fact that Russian boys and girls can play football in other regions of Europe would be a positive thing,” he argued.

Infantino added that FIFA should consider modifying its rules so that no country can be excluded from competitions. “In reality, we should never prohibit a country from playing football due to the acts of its political leaders.”

Shortly after, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov celebrated Infantino's words in a press conference.

“Irresponsible” statements

“We should have considered this (Russia's reentry) a long time ago,” declared Peskov. The Russian football federation, for its part, stated that it “fully supports” Infantino's stance.

In contrast, Ukrainian Sports Minister Matvii Bydnyi described Infantino's statements on Facebook as “irresponsible, and even childish.”

“As long as the Russians continue killing Ukrainians and politicizing sport, their flag and national symbols have no place among those who respect values like justice, honesty, and fair play,” he denounced.

The head of Ukrainian diplomacy, Andriy Sybiga, reminded on the social network X that “679 Ukrainian boys and girls will never be able to play football: Russia killed them.”

*With content from AFP.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.