The leading Ukrainian football players will leave their club affairs for some time to play in the September session of the national and youth national teams. It is the matches of these teams - respectively in the League of Nations and the play-offs of the qualification of the European Championship - that will determine the information color of the coming weeks.
On the eve of the resumption of competitions by the main team of the country, one of the priority questions among fans was the issue of broadcasting its matches. After all, the TV channel "Football", which at one time owned the rights to show the games of the national team, ceased to exist.
According to the latest information, the nearest confrontations involving the "blue and yellow" (with Scotland on September 21 and 27, as well as with Armenia on the 24th) will be offered to viewers by the ICTV channel.
"As the commentator Roberto Morales reported in the "TaToTake" issue, the matches with the participation of the Ukrainian national team will be shown on the ICTV channel. The channel received permission to interrupt the broadcast of the telethon "Edyny noviyin" for the sake of these matches. - reported the website Ua.tribuna.com (16.09.22).
For some reason, this nuance of important matches is not covered in any way by the relevant departments of the Ukrainian Football Association, which limited itself to simply handing over the broadcast rights to "Suspilny". Probably, more activity should have been expected from the national federation - at least the kind that accompanied the epic with the creation of a single TV pool in the Premier League.
In previous reviews of the media, we paid enough attention to this problem. We hope that the verdict of the last meeting of the UAF Executive Committee will be the final chord.
"Taking into account the adoption by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the draft Law of Ukraine "On Amendments to the Law of Ukraine "On Physical Culture and Sports" Regarding the Demarcation of Sports Events and Competitions", appeal to all involved football entities (UPL, PFL, professional clubs) to take the necessary actions (in particular, regarding the conclusion of contractual obligations related to marketing, television and other rights) in accordance with the requirements of this Law of Ukraine after it enters into force." - the official resource of the UAF quotes the decision of the Executive Committee. (Uaf.u.a, 13.09.22).
In fact, the UAF admitted that they played in the story with a single telepool and confirmed the legality of the demands of those clubs who prefer to independently dispose of the television picture from home matches - in particular, providing it for free to a wide range of fans. The opportunity to openly watch the matches of the leading Ukrainian teams in difficult wartime is an important social aspect, which is confirmed by various polls.
"Almost 39% of Ukrainians relieve stress by watching sports matches. And the most popular sport is football. These are the data of the Gradus company study, commissioned by the 1+1 TV channel, — reported in the material of Vira Khmelnytska (Tsn.ua, 16.09.22). — It is significant that the majority of respondents chose free options for viewing by a huge margin. Almost 87% of them. Most watch games on TV channels - 71%, and 16% of respondents chose free YouTube broadcasts."
Due to Russian aggression, people began to earn less, and therefore they are very picky about their financial expenses. Therefore, the initiative of several of our teams to defend the broadcast of their matches on the open air is pious and patriotic.
"Dynamo football club was one of the 5 Ukrainian clubs that called to make broadcasts free and available on the air of national channels," continues the author of the story on TSN. — This path, they say, was not easy. We had to achieve this, in particular, in the courts. However, the result proved that it was not in vain.
"Numbers are numbers and it's hard to argue against that! This is precisely what led to our struggle, so to speak, of several clubs, so that we would have free access to broadcasts." - says General Director of Dynamo Serhii Mokhnyk. (Tsn.ua, 16.09.22).
317 votes in the Verkhovna Rada confirmed the correctness of the motion regarding the resolution of the conflict between the UPL and the UAF with the clubs. That's how many people's representatives supported the above-mentioned draft law.
While the Ukrainian leather ball masters are preparing for the next tournament tests, the aggressor country is rightfully in almost complete international isolation. And Russian "inventors" are stubbornly looking for opportunities to circumvent sanctions. One of the options was a friendly match with the national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the prospect of which during the week made a good noise, in particular, with the involvement of some of our football personalities.
"We remind you that due to Russia's military aggression against Ukraine, all Russian teams were suspended from participating in all international official FIFA and UEFA competitions. In such a situation, the decision of the Football Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina looks as if it is aimed at supporting the actions and actions of the Russian government in Ukraine regarding the continuation of the war. Please reconsider the decision, which damages the image of your country and the relations between our associations." — with an open letter of the following content, the Ukrainian Football Association addressed its Bosnian colleagues (Uaf.u.a, 10.09.22).
Another appeal was signed by the members of the executive committee of our federation, and they were joined by Ukrainian football legends Oleg Blokhin, Igor Belanov, Andriy Shevchenko, Oleksiy Mykhailychenko, Oleg Protasov and Anatoly Demyanenko.
"We are fighting a huge military armada that wants to banally destroy our country. And, what is important, we are fighting not only for Ukraine. We are fighting for the future of the entire democratic, civilized world, to which Bosnia and Herzegovina belongs", - the letter says, in particular. (Uaf.ua, 11.09.22).
"We believe that the decision of the national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina to play a match with the team of the aggressor country is an unfortunate mistake. A mistake that can still be fixed!» - sum up the stars.
Earlier, the leading players of the Bosnian team, led by Edin Dzeko, refused to participate in sparring. They were supported by many political figures and sports officials.
"The representative of the Football Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Fuad Čolpa, gave his comment, who in an interview with BH Live stated that he had made a mistake and would seek to cancel the potential meeting. "I admit that I was wrong. I will ask to cancel the match with Russia", - quotes him Fanday.net (10.09.22).
Shortly afterwards, Azmir Husych, a member of the Executive Committee of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, reacted to the scandalous sparring.
"Match with Russia — This is what we need the least now. I defended Bosnia and Herzegovina with my body, and now I am ready to defend it with my tongue. I was the first to say that I would do everything possible to prevent this match with Russia from taking place. In a situation where all of Europe is against Russia, we definitely do not need such a match. And when I say that, I defend the interests of my country." - Husych's words are quoted by Sport Avaz. (Dynamo.kiev.ua, 14.09.22).
Since friendly matches of national teams are outside the jurisdiction of international football governing bodies, neither UEFA nor FIFA formally have the right to insist on the cancellation of such meetings. However, according to some information, the European Football Union is working on a series of sanctions against potential contacts with the country, whose clubs and national teams are currently excluded from all official competitions.
"Sports organizations comply with international laws and requirements, in particular, sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation by the European Union and the United States. Thus, the Bosnian Football Federation will be punished later, - indicates Sportarena.com (12.09.22). — The package of sanctions that UEFA is preparing includes the suspension of Bosnian teams from all European tournaments. This will concern both clubs and national teams of different levels. Also, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina will lose funding from various UEFA and FIFA projects".
The meeting with the Bosnians is scheduled for November 19. However, an even more important date in the case of the suspension of Russian football players from tournaments involving representatives of the civilized world is October 9, when the draw for the qualification of the European Championship in 2024 will take place.
It is clear to everyone that Russia and, apparently, its accomplice Belarus do not have the right to participate in the Euros, which, in particular, is stated in Germany itself, which will host the final tournament.
"The Minister of the Interior of Germany, Nancy Faeser, appealed to UEFA to suspend the teams of Russia and Belarus from participation in the Euro-2024 qualifying tournament", - writes Oleksandr Karpenko (Fanday.net, 09/17/22) with reference to an article in Spiegel magazine.
"Not only Russia, but also Belarus should be suspended from all international football games and tournaments. Football must demonstrate a united position against what is happening in Ukraine. All guilty parties must be deprived of any opportunity to influence or represent themselves in sports», - quotes Fanday.net address of the representative of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) to UEFA President Alexander Ceferin.
Despite the wave of provocative and speculative publications in the Russian press, from where they are trying to openly pressure UEFA, most analysts are inclined to the opinion that the European Football Union will not shoot itself in the foot by flirting with an insolent aggressor.
"Why does UEFA have a cascade of scandalous refusals of national federations from the most prestigious European tournament due to the participation of the Russian national team in it, similar to the one that took place on the eve of the World Cup 2022 tie-in matches? — asks the question of the head of the Ihor Linnyk, a journalist of the electronic newspaper "Football club". — Well, it is obvious that, when it comes to this, not only the representatives of Ukraine would stage an anti-Russian football demarche, but also, at least, the federations of Poland, the Czech Republic and Sweden, which already did it in March 2022.
Does anyone think that Nyone does not calculate such risks in relation to EURO 2024? Or are Berlin and Frankfurt not interested in the impeccable image of the soon-to-be-started competition? Or in Brussels, the capital of the European Union, whose partnership relations with the commissariats are so valued by the UEFA headquarters, do they not monitor the development of the above-mentioned events?» (Footclub.com.ua, 18.09.22).
The UAF, according to some of its leaders, is also taking active steps to strengthen the anti-Russian lobby ahead of the Euro 2024 draw. While we are waiting for specifics regarding these efforts, we would like to draw the attention of our football officials to the act of one of the Ukrainian figures, worthy of the reaction of at least the disciplinary bodies of the national federation.
We are talking about Gennady Zubov, a former player of the national team of Ukraine and Shakhtar, who recently worked in the reserve training system of the Donetsk club. At the height of the war, he moved to St. Petersburg, where he will work as a coach of the local club "Zvezda".
Of course, the very first question regarding Zubov's escape is how did a conscript citizen born in 1977 leave the border? But the next ones already lie in the entire football plane.
"HI would like to inquire about the reaction of the disciplinary bodies of the national football association, - writes Yuriy Korzachenko, author of "Football Club". — Sanctions were applied to the traitor Tymoshchuk, up to the point of being removed from the historical lists of the country's main team, where that mankurt appeared as the record holder for the number of matches played. Will we wait for a similar verdict on Zubov? Will our defenders of football morality show consistency and principledness to the newly minted coach of "Zvezda", who flaunts the international diploma issued to him at the time by the FFU?» (Footclub.com.ua, 11.09.22).
More than a week has passed since the publication of the news about Zubov's betrayal. And from the UAF, there is not a word about it at the moment. As, by the way, also on the part of Shakhtar, whose reputation is primarily suffering due to the act of a former employee. Recently, Zubov participated in many public events of the mining club, spoke on its behalf in the press. Therefore, the corresponding reaction would fit perfectly into the canvas of Shakhtar's policy, which positions itself as a patriotic club, confirming it at every step.
The miners won their enchanting victory at the start of the group tournament of the Champions League, over Leipzig (4:1), in a new away uniform decorated in khaki colors - an unequivocal reminder to Europe of the Armed Forces defending the eastern border of the civilized world.
Continuation of the fight in the most prestigious of the European Cups for Ihor Jovyevich's wards turned out to be more difficult - they had to sweat hard for a draw in the match with the Scottish "Celtic".
"The result of the match is 1:1. A completely natural and fair result, which gives two clubs hope for the playoffs, - thinks Dmytro Malyanov (Footboom.com, 15.09.22). — However, somewhere and creating problems for them in the future.
Game "Miner" was at a good level, but it felt like it was in its final stages something obviously missing. The loss during the match of Sudakov, who was probably sidelined for at least a few weeks, was clearly indicated: in the last minutes, his passes that develop the attack were not enough. This game once again showed that the potential of "Mrirniks" for the current drawing of the Champions League, and to write them off from the accountiv, as it was before the start of the tournament, clearly should not.
There is also a positive for the whole of Ukraine from the performances of the boys. Let's just say, another plus from tonightisy - we bypassed the terrorist country (RF) in The UEFA odds tables are back at a strategic 15th place, giving us two teams in Champions League qualification».
Despite the difficult second half of the meeting with the Scottish champions, the draw is considered an achievement. At least Shakhtar have cemented their place in the tournament and will look to continue picking up points in two consecutive games against favorites Real Madrid.
"Dnipro" also improved its position, pleasantly surprising in an away meeting of the League of Conferences in Cyprus.
"Olexander Kucher's team went to visit Apollon and scored three goals already in the first half, — states Ihor Tsvyk (Sportanalytics.com, 16.09.22). — Moreover, they mostly flew into an empty net after excellent combinations and passes. Artem Dovbyk scored a double, and the whole team showed that it is quite capable of getting out of the group, especially since there are two matches against "Vaduz" from Liechtenstein... "Dnipro-1" is just reaching its peak, because the players understand each other better on the football field and integrate into the team. Therefore, the Dnipro people are serious contenders for the championship title in the UPL and are able to make a limited noise in Europe».
It should be added: Dovbyk was recognized as the player of the tour in the Conference League, which cannot but please on the eve of the resumption of national team competitions.
"Two goals + an assist - Artem was directly involved in every goal taken by "Apollo", - emphasizes Oleg Babii (Football24.u.a, 16.09.22). — And even if we put aside the statistical fact, the importance of this player for the team is extremely difficult to overestimate. Artem plowed all over the field, collected and passed, returned all the way to his own goal and helped defend with standards. Just the perfect center forward! The statistical portal SofaScore awarded Dovbyk an unprecedented score of 9.4!»
Unfortunately, the game and result of Dynamo Kyiv was disappointing again, losing to AEK Cyprus (0:1). This has energized many of the capital club's staunch critics. Refusing to notice the obvious logistical difficulties (which, in particular, the head coach of Kyiv constantly draws attention to), the difficult moral situation of the country's visiting team, the avalanche of injuries, the breakdown of flights, these "well-wishers" spice it up with seemingly insiders about the scandalous atmosphere inside the team. For example, the players "melt" Lucescu, and the coach himself quarreled with the assistants.
"That means players "Dynamo" "swim" Lucescu? — popular TV presenter Ihor Tsyganyk acted as an opponent. — Cheloveka, who raised them to a level, won the championship. How can they afford it "melts" such a coach? They always say that when a team has a black streak. And what's the point?
"Dynamo" already played this year. There were many friendly matches, European Cups, national teams. It's a pity for Shaparenko, who was badly beaten and now kicked out of football for six months. This is a huge loss for "Dynamo" and the national team Says that someone is there "melts" - this is wrong. I think that now the matches of the national team, Lucescu will understand, and after the break we will see something completely different "Dynamo", - assured he on the Tsyganyk LIVE broadcast» (Football24.ua, 12.09.22).
Ihor Linnyk is looking for the reasons for Dynamo's decline in a rather substantive way, to which the journalist dedicated a post on his Facebook page after Shakhtar Donetsk's difficult draw with Celtic.
“Now clearer — what is happening now with "Dynamo" Kyiv, - the website Dynamo.kiev.ua rebroadcasts his thoughts (September 15, 2022). — It cost Shakhtar" not much, two weeks in a row, fly and wobble, and freshness, energy reserve for the game with the Scots was no longer enough. And "Dynamo" is already spending the 8th week in this mode!
What, obviously, is the matter here? In a sedentary state, teams, playing even twice a week, can still recover, use the entire arsenal of modern rehabilitation procedures.
After all, where there is no war, airplanes fly, and this saves coaches and players a lot of time - the same time they need for bordersandgame recovery. And buses and even trains do not allow you to move quickly, which means that you spend more time on the road...
Here are the muscles of football players and they do not recover, this is where the injuries/injuries came from. As a confirmation, the operations of Shaparenko and Bushchan, and the problems of Sudakov and Stepanenko from the same opera. So it was not by chance that from the 60th minute, Shakhtar thoroughly sat down in defense, from which it was able to break out into a meaningful counterattack only once».
Let's hope that the break in club competitions will really be useful for Dynamo. Although no one takes responsibility for the results of the national teams from them, the club remains the main supplier of personnel for the national wives. And the cooperation of the best Ukrainian performers with the experienced Lucescu benefits not only the "white and blue" themselves, but also all of our football, with which Mircha has almost become close in recent years.
Another proof of this is the interview of the Romanian expert with the official magazine of the UEFA Champions League, where he reflects not only on football, but also on the tragic events of the war in Ukraine.
"I am where I need to be. I want to help others and do my best to support them, Lucescu notes. — People need their teams in their country. So I feel that life is somehow returning to normal. We want people to feel close to us. We identify ourselves with them and their suffering. And at the same time, we can bring a touch of normality into their lives» (Dynamo.kiev.ua, 14.09.22).
The final opinion of this gray-haired sage, the oldest, let us remind you, among the current coaches of world professional football, is worthy of respect: "I want to see the smiling Ukrainian people again, hear the laughter of children. It would make my heart happy".
One can only sincerely and fervently support the Dynamo mentor in this aspiration.
Orest LELEKA
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