Ukraine labels FIFA chief ‘moral degenerate’
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga has accused FIFA President Gianni Infantino of being a “moral degenerate” after he criticized the ban on Russian athletes.
Infantino told Sky News on Monday that bans and boycotts “don’t bring anything and just contribute to more hatred,” adding that Russians should be allowed to compete “at least at youth level.”
In his response on X, Ukraine’s top diplomat accused Russia of killing civilians. “And it keeps killing more while moral degenerates suggest lifting bans, despite Russia’s failure to end its war,” Sibiga wrote.
Sibiga claimed that future generations would view Infantino’s remarks as shameful and compared his stance to the 1936 Olympics hosted by Nazi Germany.
Russia says its troops only strike military sites in Ukraine and do not target civilians.
Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Russian and Belarusian athletes and national teams have been banned from most international sporting competitions, including FIFA and UEFA games and the Olympics.
Ukraine has imposed sanctions on individual Russian athletes it accuses of supporting “aggression and propaganda.”
Several organizations have recently relaxed restrictions, with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) urging national bodies late last year to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in junior competitions under their national flags and anthems.
Russian officials have rejected the boycotts as a “politicization” of sport. Mikhail Degtyarev, the head of the Russian Olympic Committee, condemned the exclusion of athletes as “political discrimination” and a violation of the Olympic Charter.
