Association of Football Veterans of Ukraine (AVFU) on its official website published a statement titled "Appeal of Ukrainian football veterans regarding the raider takeover of the AVFU", in which UAF President Andriy Pavelko and UAF First Vice President Anatoly Demyanenko are accused of attempting to take over the organization.
“The Ukrainian Football Association continues to fight against any independent entities that may have an opinion free from Pavelko and the company regarding the development of football in Ukraine.
The current leadership of the UAF, trying to illegally extend the terms of its powers, is engaged in anti-football activities, provoking yet another scandal and introducing discord and controversy into the once united football community.
After the UAF lost a case against the head of the Veteran Football Association of Ukraine Oleg Sobutsky in the Lausanne Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) (recall, the highest sports court overturned the life suspension of A. Sobutsky, replacing it with a five-year period of disqualification), football officials of the UAF are now trying to forcibly seize power in AVFU.
The CAS decision in the case of A. Sobutsky proved to the entire world football community that there is no independent and fair football justice in Ukraine.
Contrary to the Charter of the Veteran Football Association of Ukraine, Pavelko’s subordinates hastily arrange an “executive committee” at which they plan to “elect” a loyal and convenient candidate, the first vice-president of the UAF Anatoly Demyanenko, the head of the AVFU.
It was Anatoly Demyanenko, following the direct instructions of the UAF leadership, without having any authority to do so, that began to organize the executive committee of the AVFU. And A. Demyanenko personally wrote himself on the ballot as the only candidate for the position of head of the AVFU. Mr. Demyanenko proposes to send the ballots themselves with the voting results to the e-mail ... of the UAF employee.
Obviously, such concepts as "conflict of interest" and "independence of AVFU as a subject of football" remain unknown to Demyanenko and his ideological and material inspirers.
In order to “find” a sufficient number of loyal votes, in recent days there has been insane pressure on the members of the AVFU Executive Committee - the UAF, using its usual methods, with the help of blackmail and intimidation, forces them to participate in illegal voting.
The Association of Football Veterans of Ukraine is categorically against the interference of the governing bodies of the UAF in their activities. The AVFU advocates holding legal elections of the president and governing bodies in accordance with the Charter of the AVFU through a broad discussion and discussion of candidate programs.
We are deeply convinced that only such democratic and generally accepted methods will contribute to the development of veteran football in Ukraine,” the statement says.
