UEFA punished Latvia’s U19 team by penalizing them for boycotting the match against Belarus.

UEFA penalized Latvia’s U19 team for refusing to play against Belarus. The UEFA disciplinary committee officially declared Latvia’s U19 team a technical defeat (0:3) for refusing to participate in the match that was scheduled to take place on May 15th. This match was part of the qualifying process for the 2027 European Championship.

Such sanctions from the European Football Association become systematic for the Baltic federations. Last season, similar decisions were made regarding Latvia’s and Estonia’s U17 teams, who also failed to play against Belarusian opponents.

For Latvia’s youth team, this penalty means not only losing three points, but also a serious disruption of their chances of progressing in the tournament. The European Football Association consistently insists that political motives should not influence the implementation of the established sports calendar. In the future, such refusals could lead to further disciplinary actions, including fines or restrictions on participation in UEFA tournaments.