England 'will OPPOSE playing Russian teams' despite UEFA partially lifting ban

England will retain a stance against playing teams from Russia despite UEFA partially lifting their ban on the nation to allow Under-17 sides to compete in its competitions, according to reports.

The governing body was swift to hand down a total ban on both national and club sides in the wake of Russian aggression 18 months ago, and the organisation's president Aleksander Ceferin stated in April that it would be 'very hard' to overturn the ruling as long as Russia remained involved in their conflict with Ukraine.

However, UEFA announced on Tuesday that they would ease the ban to enable Russian youngsters to play and develop - insisting it was 'aware that children should not be punished for actions whose responsibility lies exclusively with adults.

The statement added: 'For these reasons, the UEFA Executive Committee has decided that Russian teams of minor players will be readmitted to its competitions in the course of this season.

'It is particularly aggrieving that, due to the enduring conflict, a generation of minors is deprived of its right to compete in international football.

'The Executive Committee has asked the UEFA administration to propose a technical solution that would enable the reinstatement of the Russian U17 teams (both girls and boys) even when draws have already been held.'

Despite UEFA's ruling, the FA will continue to oppose playing teams from Russia, with the governing body still believing the nation should not be readmitted into European youth competitions, as claimed by Sky News.

Last year, shortly after Russia had invaded Ukraine - and before UEFA's ban came into effect - England reitereated their vow to not play Russia in any competition while they were still involved in the conflict.

A statement from