Volodymyr Zelenskyi's visit to the USA was undoubtedly the main event of last week, which acted as a certain buffer between the World Cup and the second part of the club season. The President of Ukraine not only held fruitful talks with Joe Biden, but also spoke at a joint session of both houses of the United States Congress.
Tears of pride
The sincere speech of the Head of our state was clear and emotional at the same time. Emphasis placed by Zelenskyi were interrupted by the applause of the audience more than two dozen times. Naturally, the full text of the President's speech was published by the vast majority of Ukrainian, including football, mass media.
"Despite all obstacles and gloomy scenarios, Ukraine did not fall. Ukraine is alive and fighting. And this gives me good reason to share with you our first joint victory - we defeated Russia in the battle for the world's opinion. We have no fear. And no one in the world should have it.
The Ukrainians won, and it gives us the courage that the world admires. The Americans won, and that's why you managed to unite the global community in defense of freedom and international law. The Europeans have won - that's why Europe is now stronger and more independent than at any time in its history... Russian tyranny has lost its grip on us and will never again influence our thoughts.
But the battle is still going on. And we must defeat the Kremlin on the battlefield. This is a battle not only for land, for this or that part of Europe. This is a battle not only for the life, freedom and security of Ukrainians or any other people that Russia seeks to conquer. This is a battle for what kind of world our children and grandchildren and their children and grandchildren will live in. It will determine whether it will be a democracy — for Ukrainians and for Americans, for everyone." (President.gov.ua, 22.12.2022).
"Inspiring speech of Volodymyr Zelenskyi during his address to the US Congress. Thank you all for your continued support" (Ua.tribuna.com, 22.12.22), Andriy Shevchenko wrote on Instagram.
"Historical visit. Historical speech. Because of President Volodymyr Zelensky's speech in the US Congress, I personally had goosebumps, tears welled up, and pride for my country and people." (Ua.tribuna.com, 22.12.22), former striker of the Ukrainian national team Roman Zozulya commented on what he heard.
One of the important results of Zelenskyi's visit to the USA was the agreement on the transfer of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which should significantly increase the effectiveness of our air defense. By the way, the name of the complex is very symbolic, which the Head of State drew attention to in his traditional evening address to his compatriots:
"When we say "patriots" in Ukraine and in the United States, we equally mean the protection of the state and people. This issue is resolved for Ukraine. There is also financial support. There are also other arrangements" (President.gov.ua, 22.12.2022).
Although a full week has passed since the end of the World Cup in Qatar, the final still leaves a bitter aftertaste due to FIFA's refusal to give the floor to Volodymyr Zelensky, who sought to address the football community before the decisive match. It is not surprising that the topic of the unfortunate taboo was repeatedly raised by the domestic media. Moreover, attention was drawn not so much to the controversial position of the international federation as to the passivity or cowardice of the UAF and its president Andriy Pavelek, who pretended that all this did not concern him at all.
"UAF should have reacted, written a complaint, a letter, addressed a statement that we do not share FIFA's decision! Moreover, we condemn such a decision by FIFA..." (Footballhub.com.ua, 19.12.22), well-known TV presenter and commentator Ihor Tsyganyk rightly points out.
The former president of FC "Olympic" Vladyslav Gelzin is even more radical:
"I want this pseudo-patriot Pavelko to present a negative message to Infantino from the clubs and UAF that FIFA did not allow our President to speak. We need to support Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the ZSU. And if the UAF and Pavelko remain silent, then they automatically support Russia." (Fanday.net, 21.12.22).
Even Shakhtar Donetsk, whose CEO Serhiy Palkin was apparently also outraged by FIFA's decision, was not left out.
"The decisive match of the World Cup was watched by 1.2 billion people around the world. Not to be given the opportunity to speak to such an audience is a moral crime.”, - quotes a Donetsk resident Ua.tribuna.com (12/20/22).
This is how journalists, functionaries, clubs express their attitude to an event that is absolutely crucial for Ukraine, and only the UAF, led by Pavelko, behave like that ostrich.
Probably, if it were not for criticism, the House of Football would have ignored UEFA's intentions to organize a so-called development tournament on the territory of the Russian Federation with the participation of the youth national teams of Kazakhstan, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan. The media of the neighboring terrorist country spread information about the holding of these competitions, which go against the total disqualification of Russian teams. UAF's appeal to UEFA General Secretary Theodor Theodoridis with a request to give his clarifications on the situation that has developed is quite correct. But taking into account the image that Pavelka's department has developed, such an act can only be compared to a spoonful of honey in a pot of tar.
Much ado about nothing
Volodymyr Zelenskyi, who is a symbol of the struggle of the Ukrainian people against the Russian invaders, was not accidentally awarded by the governments of the USA, Latvia, and Lithuania. It was not by chance that he was recognized as a person of the year by such authoritative publications as Time, Profil and Financial Times. Moreover, the Head of State reacts in the same way to all recognitions and displays of respect: it is not for me, but for all of Ukraine, for all of our people.
Andriy Yarmolenko, the captain of the Ukrainian national team, who was recognized as the "champion of the year" by the TV company Setanta Sports, did the same. "Champions of the year are our soldiers, our people and our country" (Fanday.net, 12/21/22), the football player, who has been helping the Armed Forces since the beginning of the terrible war unleashed by Russia, issued a comprehensive and demonstrative comment.
This is how true patriots behave. But the person who is directly responsible for the development of football in our country is only pretending to be a patriot. If the same Zelensky demonstrates the unconditional supremacy of national interests with his every act, Pavelka has completely different priorities. His own comfort and well-being are of primary importance to him, and for their sake, in order to preserve power, he does not hesitate to bring under the monastery not only Ukrainian football, but also his native country.
Another evidence of the decay of the management apparatus of the House of Football was the mess that arose around the extraordinary meeting of the UAF executive committee. The Executive Committee, which was supposedly supposed to be held on December 20, and at which it was supposed to express no confidence in Pavelko and initiate the convening of an extraordinary election Congress.
In the last review, we already wrote about the creation of a working group to review protocols and relevant decisions of federation members. This group was headed by Anatoly Demyanenko, a well-known football player and coach in the past, whom Pavelko has used as a wedding general, not for the first time. Do you remember how in February 2018, Anatoliy Vasyliovych became the head of the fictitious Kyiv City Football Federation, artificially created in opposition to the Kyiv Football Federation — a legitimate organization that refused to become a cog in the UAF's corruption mechanism?
Both in the first case and in the second, it remains a complete mystery what the cell led by Demyanenko was doing. No evidence of conspiracy, no names - just bare conclusions and one-sided interpretation of events. However, this did not prevent the three first vice-presidents of the national association, Oleg Protasov, Oleksiy Mykhailichenko, and Demyanenko, to send letters to UEFA and FIFA, which, apparently, referred to the alleged pressure of state authorities on football officials and allegedly preparing a mutiny against Pavelko.
A response came from Switzerland, which the House of Football tried to present as a stern warning to potential violators.
So, The chief editor of IA "News Center" and part-time president of the national team of Ukrainian football journalists, Olga Vytak (in other words, a person addicted to Pavelek), assured everyone that big trouble awaits Ukraine:
"FIFA and UEFA, in connection with the holding of the virtual executive committee, which will take place on December 20, warned the UAF that Ukraine may be excluded from international organizations. FIFA and UEFA, in a letter addressed to the vice-presidents of the UAF, remind that the Ukrainian association should manage its affairs without the influence of third parties. Any violation of this obligation may lead to the suspension of the membership of the UAF in FIFA and UEFA in accordance with Art. 16 of the FIFA Statute and Art. 9 of the UEFA Statute" (Centernews.com.ua, 19.12.22).
Journalist Ihor Burbas, who usually pours water on the federation's windmill, did not forget to put in his five cents:
"So far, this story is shaping up scandalously. In Nyon, evidentiary statements of some collective members of the UAF were collected, who, under pressure and under dictation in writing, are now forced to express a desire to "shoot down" the scandalous alleged Pavelko and immediately put the famous alleged Shevchenko in his place." (Sport.ua, 19.12.22)..
And Komandaonline.com, a resource fully controlled by Pavelka, even directly stated that they are rocking the football boat not anywhere, but in the office of the President of Ukraine.
"Let us remind you that earlier, under the control of Andriy Smirnov, the deputy of the Office of the President of Ukraine, all members of the Executive Committee were sent an action plan developed by him regarding the convening and holding of a virtual UAF Executive Committee. Of course, there is no legitimacy in the actions of Smirnov and his henchmen.
FIFA and UEFA have made a clear statement regarding the football-political rebellion in Ukraine and continue to closely monitor the further development of events that cause colossal damage to all domestic football." (Komandaonline.com, 19.12.22)..
As we can see, officials and journalists fed by Pavelko, without providing any confirmation of their words, are ready to slander even the Office of the President, one of the strongholds of our opposition to the Russian Federation, just to help their boss hold on to the leadership position.
Meanwhile, the very appearance of the letter from Switzerland, around which all this fuss was made, raises a number of questions. Thus, the famous TV presenter and blogger Kostyantyn Adriyuk drew attention to the fact that the document dated December 14 was made public only on the 19th.
"This letter is very important for the UAF - why wasn't it posted the same day? Why the 5 day wait?" (Sport.ua, 20.12.22), Andriyuk rightly asks.
The journalist is also surprised by the fact that the letter, which was made public by Protasov personally, was never published on the UAF website, which would also confirm its officiality and importance.
And why be surprised? The fact that the letter did not make it to the official page of the organization and appeared on the network with a significant delay only demonstrates that its content does not at all correspond to the horrors that the propaganda group from the House of Football is trying to scare us.
Ihor Tsyganyk also emphasized in his author's program that there is not even a hint of possible expulsion of Ukraine from UEFA and FIFA membership in the mentioned letter.
"This is just a sign-off from UEFA. Read the FIFA and UEFA regulations. It is clearly written there that state bodies have no right to interfere in the country's football affairs. There is a football family that decides for itself how to live and is subject only to FIFA and UEFA. What is state intervention? State intervention is when the president of a country issues a decree dismissing the president of a local federation. Conditionally speaking, Zelensky signs the decree on Pavelko's release.
Today, there is no state interference in football affairs. There are lawsuits, but this is an economic situation, FIFA and UEFA cannot interfere here. Events may unfold differently. But for now, the football family must decide for themselves - gather and decide what to do next. No one is going to exclude Ukraine and there is no reason yet that Ukraine can be excluded from international competitions. Because there is no evidence of state intervention in the affairs of the UAF" (Footballhub.com.ua, 19.12.22).
At the same time, Tsyganyk asks another question: why was the letter of complaint signed not directly by the head of the UAF, but by his deputies:
“Explain to me why? If we have evidence of interference in the work of the UAF, why is the letter not signed by the head of football? And not signed, because there is no evidence at this stage. There are only conversations. I guarantee you, if the provisional executive committee meets, everything it approves will be in the regulations of FIFA and UEFA" (Footballhub.com.ua, 19.12.22).
It is worth adding that hiding behind others' backs is Pavelka's usual behavior. He perfectly understands that there is zero constructive in this correspondence, so he instructs his subordinates to make an elephant out of the fly. And now all the uncomfortable questions that have already arisen and will arise will have to be answered by the football legends who once again allowed themselves to be made into clowns.
Soap Bubble and "Tits"
Pavelka, who has already sunk into the criminal mire up to his ears, does not need any extra criticism at all. If you draw attention to yourself, then only in a winning light. However, conscientious journalists do not forget about the numerous accusations of the main "patriot" of theft and corruption.
"UAF representatives, in their complaint about blatant injustice and pressure from the state, apparently forgot to emphasize that the National Police, SBI, NABU and the Prosecutor's Office are investigating 10 criminal cases based on the facts of the illegal activities of Pavelek and his UAF managers.
And on November 29, the Pechersk Court of the city of Kyiv chose a preventive measure against the president of the UAF in the case of the disappearance of a million euros on the equipment used in the construction of the factory of artificial coverings for football fields. So, Pavelka was ordered to be arrested until January 23, 2023, with the right to post bail in the amount of 9 million 880 thousand hryvnias. We would like to add that UAF Marketing company almost immediately paid a deposit for the president and general secretary of UAF Yury Zapisotskyi (Footballhub.com.ua, 19.12.22).
The authors of the publication on the Football Hub resource are outraged that all this blackmail on the part of the UAF with the involvement of FIFA and the threat of expulsion of Ukraine arose only because of the executive committee, at which they were supposed to express no confidence in Pavelko and his cronies.
"In other words, the current president of the Ukrainian Football Association holds on to his chair so much that he is ready to go to the exclusion of Ukraine from international football competitions!" (Footballhub.com.ua, 19.12.22) - it is said in the summary part of the material.
Vladislav Helzin fully agrees with the conclusion, which actually lies on the surface.
"Pavelko clings to his chair with his teeth and claws and cannot let go. He usurped power in the UAF, like Putin and Lukashenko in their countries. I don't know what's on his mind. He just compromises himself. I once said that he would be taken out of there in urns, but now the situation is even worse. Andryusha [Pavelka] should run away from there as soon as possible." (Fanday.net, 21.12.22).
As for the organization of the extraordinary executive committee of the UAF, which would threaten the authority of the first person of the federation, all horror stories, as expected, turned out to be a soap bubble. Although in the House of Football, it seems that they were preparing for the worst and were even going to stage a provocation by simulating an attack by the so-called "aunties".
The same Andriyuk said in his Telegram channel that on December 19, all UAF employees were asked to leave the building at 4:00 p.m. and not to go to work until 12:00 p.m. on the 21st.
"The house was filled at 4:30 p.m. by the so-called "aunties", about 30 people in tracksuits with hoods on their heads. Tomorrow they plan to organize a provocation here as an attack on the UAF. Shevchenko's request was allegedly organized by the OP [Office of the President]. It is managed by Vadym Kostyuchenko. Today we practiced the "attack" scenario (Ua.tribuna.com, 19.12.22), Andriyuk shared insider information.
But on the 20th, Tuesday, something went wrong. Neither the "terrible" executive committee, nor the attempt to capture the House of Football - real or staged - never happened. However, this is not important at the moment. The performance, staged on Laboratory Alley, once again demonstrated what treacherous and toxic people are leading Ukrainian football. And now, when in the conditions of a brutal war he survives not thanks to, but in spite of, the presence of Pavelko and his henchmen in key positions of the UAF is particularly dangerous and can lead to disastrous consequences.
UAF or Central Committee of the CPSU?
The understanding that Pavelko is a completely superfluous character in the domestic football economy finally came to the absolute majority of our journalists. And not only to them.
So, columnist Oleg Shcherbakov wonders: is it even worth saying that the current UAF is about classic democracy, justice and the future? And he himself answers: either authoritarianism or authoritarian democracy is more suitable for determining the functioning of Ukrainian football.
"Supposedly there are various regulatory, ethical and licensing bodies. But these bodies often act according to the principle of "everything for one's own, nothing for another's". Allegedly, there are free media, but the UAF spits on them due to strong internal censorship and closedness. And, of course, everyone who criticizes works for the conditional Surkis" (Ua.tribuna.com, 20.12.22).
Shcherbakov emphasizes that Pavelko did everything to make it impossible to shoot him by legal methods not only because of the circumstances in the country.
"The charter was changed, registration of candidates was made more difficult, almost all opponents were pushed out of regional federations. It has come to the point that the UAF is ready to destroy Ukrainian football by appealing to international football authorities with a complaint of political influence. This only once again proves that Pavelka is more concerned not with football, but with his place in football" (Ua.tribuna.com, 20.12.22).
The author of the publication even believes that it is worth taking an international risk to remove Pavelko:
"And even if it happens that during the war we will be thrown out of UEFA or FIFA, it is better to go this way and prove ourselves right in court. The events of the last 10 months have proven that any documents and institutions that do not work ultimately end up in the same way - in the landfill." (Ua.tribuna.com, 20.12.22).
At the end, Shcherbakov invites readers to answer a number of questions:
Did Pavelko keep his pre-election promises?
Does the UAF respond adequately at the international level to the war?
Does it report financial flows well?
Is football developing in Ukraine thanks to UAF?
Does UAF Pavelka have a good reputation in the world?
Is the UAF open to media and fans?
Do all football stakeholders have equal rights?
Do Pavelka's public manifestations cause laughter?
"If you have 7 "no" and 1 "yes" answers, then we are on the same page, - summarizes the reviewer.
"Pavelko has to go" (Ua.tribuna.com, 20.12.22), he states.
The well-known commentator and TV presenter Viktor Vatska, who in an interview on the YouTube channel "Rozmova" explained why he considers the UAF to be an archaic structure, was also criticized.
"I believe that the structure of the UAF, the structure of Ukrainian football in general in its current form is ineffective. It is archaic and outdated. I compared and compare it with the Central Committee of the CPSU, where there is a general secretary, and they all just vote so that the general secretary, God forbid, is not dissatisfied. He will say some nonsense, heresy, and everyone is in favor. And no one has the nerve to say that no, it should be done differently.
It is ineffective, this system, because we have absolutely nothing developing from the point of view of football. People there hang medals on themselves... What have you done for children, for amateur football? UAF, as an organization, is designed to develop Ukrainian football, but we do not see any examples of it doing this. I see that there is a president, a bunch of vice-presidents, and it is still unclear who..." (Footballhub.com.ua, 22.12.22).
Vatsko, in addition, gave a demonstrative example of how suspiciously a closed organization Pavelka's department is, recalling the spring charity matches held by Ukrainian teams.
"Dynamo" and "Shakhtar" went abroad, organized charity matches in good stadiums, organized broadcasts, people came there, there are donations, everything is transparent, they transferred money to help Ukraine.
The national team of Ukraine went. For me, in this situation in which our state got into, the national team should be the flag of the country. They had to leave immediately, organize and play matches with top clubs. Who did they play? They went to Mönchengladbach, where "Borussia" organized everything: live broadcasts, online donations. Then they played against Rijeka and Empoli... Has anyone seen how much they collected and where they were counted? The only figure we all saw was almost 20 million hryvnias from the bail for the president and general secretary of the UAF. These are the only figures that were in the public domain related to the activities of the Ukrainian Football Association" (Footballhub.com.ua, 22.12.22).
What can we say, if even Yevhen Levchenko, a former player of the Ukrainian national team, who mostly comments on purely football processes, could not resist. However, Pavelko's destructive activities also affected this, usually taciturn and tolerant expert.
"What is happening now in our football is a direct result of the completely ineffective policy of the UAF in recent years. Our football is synonymous with opacity, nepotism, behind-the-scenes games and adventurers who have usurped football power. The saddest thing is that the people who are at the head of this government are so attached to this chair that they are ready for anything, including the collapse of Ukrainian football, in order to hold on to this power. Let's be frank that the current football officials of the UAF have not been able to reform practically anything for many years» (Ua-football.com, 23.12.22).
Turning to Pavelko himself, Levchenko cannot understand why he simply will not leave his post if he is not able to manage Ukrainian football:
"If we aspire to democratic values, then the methods must be appropriate. The ability to take beautiful photos, make eloquent promises and surround yourself with legends of Ukrainian football does not mean being able to manage. Ask a simple question, what have you really done for Ukrainian football? And what mark in football history will be left behind you..." (Ua-football.com, 23.12.22).
Pavelko probably saw Yevhen's post on Facebook, but it is unlikely that he has an answer to at least one of Levchenko's questions.
Survive and help
Our football remains competitive no matter what. Of course, not thanks to UAF, but thanks to enthusiasts, patrons, people who really love and support the game. And, of course, thanks to true, "sick" in a good sense, professionals who are trained to at least maintain the proper level. Even in conditions of war.
This is exactly what, for example, is said in the interview of the coach of Kyiv "Dynamo" Mirchi Lucescu to the Italian Tuttosport. It turned out that the Romanian specialist turned down an attractive offer from Fenerbahce to continue working with his current wards. He stated that he had no intention of fleeing Ukraine because of the war.
“Who will make me do this? I can't betray these guys. Fenerbahce wanted to sign me, but I said that my place is here now.
Although what is happening in Ukraine seems incredible, after almost a year of war, it seems to have become normal, commonplace. But there is no question of the return of fans to Ukrainian stadiums.
How do I live? With fear. You look at the sky and you don't know what could happen at any moment. We hear the noise of airplanes while we are in the field. We play matches behind closed doors. As long as there is no air alarm, we play trying to pay close attention to the field. I don't know who would do something like that in my place, but I feel good doing what I'm doing." (Ua.tribuna.com, 22.12.22).
Lucescu is far from the only fan of his business, and therefore in the next year, many interesting football events await our fan again. Including international ones, in which domestic teams will participate. "Shakhtar" and "Dnipro-1" will continue their European Cup exams in February, and a little later our youth and national teams will be waiting for selections for the continental championships.
Well, in the summer, for only the third time in history, the "blue and yellow" will play in the final tournament of the youth EURO. The manager of the team, Ruslan Rotan, recently not only extended his contract with UAF, but also headed "Alexandria". Only time will tell how such a combination will affect the work of the 41-year-old specialist.
The footballers are currently still on winter vacation, but the clubs are keeping their front, helping the army, continuing humanitarian and charitable activities. And this mission is no less, and perhaps more important, than actual active participation in football processes.
Take, for example, the same "Dynamo", which only last week carried out several relevant promotions.
Thus, the Surkis Brothers Foundation ensured the shipment of two large containers with hygiene products and antibacterial wipes, which are very valuable goods at the front, to Ukrainian defenders. One of the trucks is intended for the needs of employees of the State Border Service of Ukraine, and the other is for the Security Service of Ukraine.
In addition, thanks to the consolidation of the efforts of "Dynamo" and the Dutch company Odink & Koenderink Nederland B.V., Bohuslav of the Obukhiv district, located in the Kyiv region, received a powerful 550 kW diesel generator, which will guarantee the smooth functioning of the city. There is no need to say what value such equipment will have now, when thousands of Ukrainians are suffering from a lack of light and heat due to Russian shelling.
Well, in Byshev, Fastiv district, Kyiv region, the works on the reconstruction of the "Kashtan" nursery school, which lasted several months, were completed the other day. As a result of the rocket attacks, the roof there was completely destroyed, all the windows were broken along with the panes, and the interior decoration of the children's institution was also significantly damaged. But now, thanks to the efforts of the club and, in particular, the already mentioned Foundation, the building has been completely restored - the children have already celebrated St. Nicholas Day in the kindergarten.
For its part, Shakhtar Donetsk together with The European Football for Development Network launched a campaign to collect generators for residents of Ukraine. Her goal is to collect at least 160 generators!
In addition, as we have already reported, the miners fully covered the costs of the treatment of Azovstal defender Mykhailo Dianov. On December 13, the hero underwent shoulder surgery in the American St. Louis, and it is expected that after rehabilitation, Mykhailo's right hand will fully function again.
Giving an interview to "Voice of America", the marine once again stated that he believes in the approach of a successful end to the war for Ukraine:
"When "Dynamo" Kyiv and "Shakhtar" play football at "Donbas Arena" - this will be the final victory", - quotes a serviceman Ukrfootball.ua (12/23/22).
Orest LELEKA
