Sports minister calls Infantino “irresponsible”

February 4, 2026 Oliver Obel

Ukraine’s sports minister has sharply criticised Fifa president Gianni Infantino after his recent remarks questioning the effectiveness of Russia’s suspension from international football, a debate that continues to resonate as the war in Ukraine grinds on.

Matvii Bidnyi said Infantino’s comments showed a dangerous detachment from the reality of the conflict, arguing that sport cannot be separated from the violence unfolding in Ukraine.

In comments reported by Sky News, Infantino suggested that barring Russian teams had failed to produce meaningful results. The Fifa president said the ban “has not achieved anything” and had instead “created more frustration and hatred”.

He added that allowing young Russian players to compete abroad could have a constructive impact. “Having girls and boys from Russia being able to play football games in other parts of Europe would help,” Infantino said.

Bidnyi rejected that argument outright. “Gianni Infantino's words sound irresponsible not to say infantile,” he told Sky News. “They detach football from the reality in which children are being killed.”

Background to the ban

Russian national teams and club sides were suspended by Fifa and Uefa in February 2022, days after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. As a result, Russia was excluded from the 2022 World Cup, Euro 2024, and will not take part in qualification for the 2026 World Cup.

Bidnyi said Ukraine’s football authorities remain firmly opposed to any easing of the restrictions. “War is a crime, not politics,” he said. “It is Russia that politicises sport and uses it to justify aggression.”

While Russia remains barred from competitions organised by Fifa and Uefa, it has continued to play a limited number of international matches against non-Western nations. Those games fall outside the jurisdiction of the two governing bodies.

Scrutiny of football leadership

Infantino’s remarks have also revived attention on his past ties with Russia. After the country hosted the 2018 World Cup, he was awarded the Russian Order of Friendship by President Vladimir Putin an honour that has drawn renewed criticism since the invasion of Ukraine.

Bidnyi said Russia should remain excluded from global sport for as long as the war continues. “As long as Russians continue killing Ukrainians and politicising sport, their flag and national symbols have no place among people who respect values such as justice, integrity and fair play,” he said.

Wider sporting fallout

Ukraine has voiced similar objections beyond football. Last year, it condemned the International Paralympic Committee’s decision to lift its ban on athletes from Russia and Belarus. The Ukrainian National Paralympic Committee said the move allowed the two countries to “raise their flags, drenched in the blood of hundreds of thousands of people”.

Despite that decision, Russian and Belarusian athletes will not appear at the upcoming Winter Paralympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. Although the IPC oversees the Games, individual governing bodies for the sports involved retain authority over eligibility, and several have maintained their own bans. Approval for ice hockey participation came too late for either country to qualify.

Sources: Sky News, Fifa statements