Athletistic/Football. Ilya Gerkus, former president of Lokomotiv and Torpedo, expressed his position regarding UEFA’s decision to allow Russian national teams under the age of 17 to participate in international tournaments under a neutral flag.

Herkus noted that UEFA’s decision allows our youth teams to compete without a coat of arms, flag and anthem on neutral territory, which, in his opinion, seems humiliating. He gave the example of other countries, such as Germany and Italy, which played with all their symbols after the war.

Herkus stressed that the proposal to remove the coat of arms and abandon the flag only concerns children, and expressed doubts whether these teams’ affiliation with Russia will continue after such changes. In his opinion, such an approach indicates that anything can be done with Russia, ignoring laws and rules.

Herkus also asked why the U17 European Championship is so important and why it is worth approaching it with such compromises. He expressed doubts about the appropriateness of such decisions.

  • Gerkus appreciated the mood of Lokomotiv in the match against Zenit


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