In November 2010, the national football team of Ukraine arrived in Switzerland for a friendly game against the national team of this country. In the arrivals hall of the Basel airport, where the plane with the Ukrainian team arrived, fifty local journalists with cameras, cameras and microphones were waiting for it. As soon as they saw people in blue and yellow sports suits, they rushed to meet them, pushing each other and uttering only one word "Chevchenko"!
Andriy ShevchenkoSwiss journalists did not know that Andrii Shevchenko did not come to this game for some reason. And as soon as they found out, they turned around and left, leaving Stepanenko, Konoplyanka, Tymoshchuk, Milevskyi, Yarmolenko and other Ukrainian football "stars" alone with their suitcases.
This episode clearly showed that in Ukrainian football there is only one "star" that the whole world knows. The surnames of all other Ukrainian football players and coaches are known to the world in about the same way as the names of football players and coaches from Switzerland, which still does not have a football player of Andriy Shevchenko's level, are known to Ukrainians.
I was reminded of this by the news that recently appeared in the sports news. The news was that Andriy Shevchenko can head the Ukrainian Football Association. Really, why not? More precisely, not so, why is he still not in charge of it? Because it is so simple and natural!
Let's remember that after the end of his football career, Shevchenko persistently looked for a place that would correspond to his status and ambitions. Becoming a politician did not work out. As a coach, too. There is nothing wrong with this - not all football players, whom the whole world knows, become successful politicians or coaches. This is the exception rather than the rule. Shevchenko was not such an exception. But his worldwide football fame and attractive image remained with him. When it's easier - Andriy has been the face of Ukrainian football for three dozen years, regardless of whether he holds a position or not. And not just a face, but a pleasant face, a face that evokes exclusively positive emotions in everyone.
So why doesn't he officially lead Ukrainian football? Who will lose from this? I think no one. This will only benefit Ukrainian football and Ukraine. Different people led Ukrainian football at different times. They can be treated differently. But one thing is clear - none of them individually and all of them together did not even have the kind of global authority that Andriy Shevchenko already has.
So why should this authority be lost? Why can't Shevchenko represent Ukrainian football not just as a great player in the past, but as its official manager? I think that the interests of absolutely everyone related to our football coincide here. No one will be able to unite our football the way Andriy Shevchenko has united it for many years!
There is little left to vote for his candidacy. I would like to see who will be against. Of course, when Andriy himself does not mind. And why should he be against taking a place that seems to have been created for him?
Mykola Nesenyuk
