FIFA U15 World Cup starts – with Russia, without Germany

In Azerbaijan, a World Cup of unprecedented size begins on Thursday: 189 young teams travel to the capital Baku to participate in the new FIFA U15 World Cup – Russia returns to the football stage, Ukraine and the DFB each do not send a team. The tournament is open to all 211 national associations that are members of FIFA. Russia’s federation is taking this opportunity to participate in a global tournament for the first time since President Vladimir Putin started the war of aggression against Ukraine. The Ukrainian football association UAF said at the request of the sports show that he had canceled the tournament early on for sporting reasons. Only then did Russia’s participation become known. The UAF informed the other European associations about this. Some countries said that they would not participate in the competition. Others said they wanted to play but not against Russia, the UAF said. The Ukrainian Federation said it was “grateful to the European football family for their support and their united stance in isolating Russia in football”. However, DFB leads sporting reasons for his absence to 37 out of 55 possible teams from the UEFA member associations. Russia plays in one of the 32 preliminary round groups against Afghanistan, Djibouti, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Turkey. Like 17 other UEFA associations, the German Football Association (DFB) does not send a team to the tournament in Azerbaijan. On request of the sports show, the DFB but purely sporting reasons for his absence. From our point of view, talent should not be exposed too early to the side effects of the professional football business. According to the DFB, this includes "among other things an increased pressure of expectations, an early public evaluation of their services and an early interest from the consulting and market environment." That’s why they deliberately decided against the tournament. Outside of Europe, only the teams from Eritrea, Libya, North Korea and the USA remain away from the tournament. The U15 World Cup will be held for the first time in this form. It was decided by the FIFA Council, which also includes DFB President Bernd Neuendorf. 189 countries participate in the tournament. The teams are divided into 32 preliminary groups and play there for the places in the knockout round. All teams are divided into six tournaments based on their results, in each of which a winner is chosen. Nearly a thousand games will take place on 20 small fields within nine days. Eight against eight are played, the squads comprise 14 players each. In 2027, a corresponding tournament for girls should take place. Infantino openly called for Russia’s return In July, the International Olympic Committee provisionally lifted its restrictions on Russia. FIFA said it would analyze the decision. So far, Russian teams have been suspended at FIFA and UEFA "for security reasons" and "to ensure the smooth running of the game", and Russia's association has remained a full member. The war against Ukraine was never evaluated in these decisions. FIFA President Gianni Infantino had said in February in conversation with several media that Russia must be included again. “The faster everyone is at a World Cup, the better.” Infantino still holds the Russian "Order of Friendship". Putin had given him the 2019 award as a thank you for hosting the 2018 World Cup in Russia. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin publicly made an end to the war a prerequisite for a return. Numerous supercharged games are possible The regulations of the tournament are not publicly available. FIFA told the sports show on request that the knockout matches will be “determined based on the results of the group stage”, so there are no restrictions on who plays against whom. Numerous politically charged games are possible: The teams of the associations from Israel and Palestine could theoretically become opponents in the knockout round.The state leadership in Iran prohibits athletes from competing against Israel. Teams from Kosovo and Serbia are not allowed to play against each other in UEFA competitions - there could also be a special match here.Spain could meet Gibraltar, there has been a conflict with Great Britain over the peninsula for decades. At UEFA level, the teams from Spain and Gibraltar are currently not allowed to play against each other. "This is the beauty of the tournament," FIFA Director Arsène Wenger said in a video distributed by the World Federation. It was a dream to have everyone from the world together. At FIFA, we always say that football unites the world. Azerbaijan seeks proximity to football FIFA wants to bring the world together in Azerbaijan, the tournament takes place in the capital Baku. Armenia does not participate, for years it has been in conflict with Azerbaijan, which was partly fought by force of arms, but has finally calmed down. Azerbaijan is governed by President Ilham Aliyev. There are regular serious violations of human rights in the country. Again and again, human rights organisations criticise the fact that the state leadership uses sporting events to make its mark internationally and to demonstrate strength internally. In 2019, UEFA’s Europa League final was held in Baku, and several European Championship matches were awarded to Baku in 2021. The state-owned energy company SOCAR was UEFA sponsor for several years. The venue was chosen because of its "first-class sports and other infrastructure", FIFA said. FIFA President Gianni Infantino brought gifts to the Presidential Palace at the end of September during his campaign tour for re-election in 2027. 'D..