Viktor Vatsko: "No Ukrainian club has a team of the Champions League group stage level"

Commentator Viktor Vatsko spoke about the prospects of Ukrainian teams playing in the Champions League on the Vatsko on air YouTube channel.

"At the moment, I think that no Ukrainian club has a team of the Champions League group stage level. Not a single one. Neither Dnipro-1, nor Shakhtar, nor Dynamo. I'll tell you more, I have almost no doubt that if Shakhtar had not been given the opportunity to enter the Champions League group stage directly last summer, they would not have qualified.

I understand the irony of this question, I understand that this is a question to my words that our clubs that get into European competitions "merge" already in the qualifiers, this is to talk about the rating. This was the case in previous years. I'm not inventing anything here, I'm talking about the facts. It was in those years when our championship was stronger than it is now. And now we have dropped in level, enormously. I think everyone understands this. That's why I don't really take this fight for ratings seriously.

So, next season, 4, not 5 clubs will be eliminated from the European Cups. What will this change dramatically for the level and development of our football? I think that in the long run we have a chance to get a team in the Champions League through qualification - the way of the champions. Therefore, the championship this season will be very important. The vice-champion, who will fall to someone, most likely one of the top champions, in the qualifiers, I think, will have very little chance.

It's not that I'm rooting for someone or not rooting for someone. Everyone should ask themselves who follows our football. I believe that only the blind can fail to notice and the stubborn can disagree with the statement that we have slipped in terms of level. We don't have top players now, we don't even have the opportunity to attract top players ready-made," Vatsko said.