Bulykin: "Sport should be free from politics"

Football expert Dmitry Bulykin expressed his opinion regarding FIFA President Gianni Infantino's views on easing sports sanctions against Russia and reports that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) might lift restrictions imposed on Russia in the near future. This was reported by Zamin.uz.

The interview was published on the "Euro-Football.ru" website. According to Bulykin, he is aware that the issue of returning Russian athletes to international competitions by 2028 is being discussed and hopes to believe in this.

He hopes that the process of reintegrating athletes will also happen more quickly in football. At the same time, he emphasized that some countries' refusal to play against the Belarus national team is deepening problems in sports.

Bulykin believes that disputes in sports should be resolved only on the field, not through various political or bureaucratic obstacles. The expert cited the example of Estonian and Lithuanian youth teams receiving technical defeats for refusing to play against Belarus.

In his opinion, such strict measures might be an effective way to solve the problem. At the same time, Bulykin expressed hope that if FIFA and UEFA maintain a principled stance, practices like avoiding matches will cease.

Regarding how the lifting of IOC sanctions might affect football, Bulykin spoke cautiously. According to him, the Olympic movement and football systems differ, but it is necessary for Russia to return to competitions in both areas.

About Gianni Infantino's statement that excluding Russian teams is "meaningless," Bulykin noted that no practical decisions have been made on this matter yet. Nevertheless, he expressed hope that the situation will change in the near future and Russian athletes may participate in international competitions under their own flags.

Infantino also stated that in the future, it is necessary to legally prohibit excluding teams from competitions for political reasons. Bulykin supported this initiative, reminding that football should always be free from politics.

He also noted that currently politics is excessively interfering in sports. Bulykin hopes that the process of lifting sanctions will not be prolonged.

In his opinion, first of all, returning youth and women's teams to competitions would be a significant step, but the best solution is for all teams to return at once. The expert emphasized that this process might happen by 2026, but it is a very complex issue.

He added that one should always hope for the best.