European the football association (Uefa) has allowed a Russian representative to attend its congress in Austria on Wednesday, the news agency Reuters reports.

Russian national teams as well as Russian club teams were excluded from the competitions of Uefa and the International Football Association (Fifa) after Russia invaded Ukraine, but the Russians are still welcome at the meeting table.

“The secretary general of the Russian Football Association attended today’s congress in Vienna,” a spokesman for Uefa told Reuters.

Earlier this month, Uefa ruled out Russia’s applications to host the 2028 and 2032 European Championships.

Uefan Slovenian President Alexander Cheferin said according to Reuters after the congress that the debate on the duration of the closure measures is still premature.

“If you had asked me a month ago, I would have thought differently than today. We don’t know what will happen in a month, ”he said at a news conference.

“I wouldn’t rule out anything, but I wouldn’t say nothing would happen in the future. Our sanctions are harsh on athletes, and I am sorry for them, but there were no other solutions in a situation like this. I hope, as we all hope, that this madness will end as soon as possible. ”

Reuters did not reach a representative of the Ukrainian Football Association to comment on the presence of his Russian counterpart in the congress.