Shevchenko plans to tell Infantino face-to-face that Russia’s football ban must stand

Ukrainian FA president seeks meeting on Thursday

Fifa president due at Uefa congress in Brussels

Andriy Shevchenko will seek a meeting with Gianni Infantino on Thursday to discuss the Fifa president’s recent comments that favoured Russia’s return to international football competitions.

Infantino sparked condemnation in Ukraine when, speaking in an interview last week, he said the ban on Russia’s participation should be reassessed. Shevchenko, the Ukrainian Association of Football president, is looking to restate Ukraine’s position in private when the pair attend Uefa’s congress in Brussels.

Speaking to a domestic audience on Monday, Shevchenko said he hoped soon to “convey, in concrete terms, information about the war in Ukraine and our position”. It is understood he may get the opportunity on the sidelines of Uefa’s annual convention, which Infantino is also expected to address.