Dynamo President Igor Surkis shared his opinion on the possible change of the head of the UAF.
Igor Surkis- You do not vote in the UAF presidential elections. But do you personally support Pavelko as a candidate for re-election? Would you like him to manage Ukrainian football for the next term?
— I would like something to change in our football. And who will manage Ukrainian football - the surname is indifferent to me, because a person must professionally and systematically manage this industry. I want there to be changes. I want the clubs to be turned around and taken into account. For us to have our own voice. And not the executive committee of the football federation, in which there is not a single representative of the clubs. I want there to be some discussion.
— There were talks about Andriy Shevchenko as a candidate for the UAF President. How do you look at it?
— I can say a lot of complimentary things about Andriy Shevchenko. I have friendly relations with him. Shevchenko grew up before my eyes - from a small football player to a big football player, then to a great coach, and today a legendary person - the ambassador of our country. And he does a lot for Ukraine.
When he was a football player, he could not even imagine that Shevchenko could become such a person who would be one of the symbols of modern Ukrainian football. And to say that Shevchenko could become the president of the UAF, one must understand whether Andrei himself wants this? Will the football society support Shevchenko? And I would support it, but my vote is not taken into account. I would support, say, Shevchenko, Rebrov or many other functionaries, but no one asks me.
Therefore, if Shevchenko advances, and they ask me like this, “Do you support Shevchenko?”, I will say: “Yes, I support Andrei.” Because he is devoted to football to the marrow of his bones, he has great authority in Europe. It not only enjoys authority, it is reckoned with. He has reached great heights, he is one of those who have achieved such heights in our independent Ukraine. He is the owner of the Golden Ball.
But it must be his decision. I don't know if he wants to run. I am not promoting any candidate today. I just want the person who will head the football federation for the next 5 years to work for football.
- I noticed that you always say "football federation", although it renamed itself the UAF. Is this a fundamental position?
— You know, childhood habits. It has been preserved in my memory as the Football Federation of Ukraine, which is why I say so. Moreover, when they changed to UAF, they didn’t ask us either. Therefore, for me it is the football federation.
