Commentator Viktor Vatsko on his Youtube channel Vatsko on air reacted to the postponement of Shakhtar's match against Lviv in the first round of the Ukrainian championship to April 12-13.
Viktor Vatsko"Shakhtar postponed their match against Lviv from the date determined by a fair blind draw, when it was unprofitable for them to play, to the date when it would be profitable for Shakhtar to play.
Underdogs use a lot of football tricks: they don't water the field to make the ball run slower, they use markings to reduce the size of the field to the minimum allowable. The opponent has better, more efficient and faster players, who, by stretching the defense, will make better use of the free space.
What does Lviv do? Lviv agrees to move the match against Shakhtar from the "non-fountain" lawn of the Skif Stadium to the high-quality lawn of the Lviv Arena. Of course, at the expense of Shakhtar, who pays for it. So that Shakhtar's technical players do not suffer at the Skif Stadium, but enjoy playing football on a good pitch.
"Lviv does everything not for its own result, but for the comfort of the opponent. And this is in a situation where in the fall they could have gotten Shakhtar tired between Champions League matches and traveling. This is the hospitality from the management. All that's missing now is to put bread and salt in the center circle and let the whole team just stand back from their own goal, let that long-suffering Traore score a couple of goals if he can.
I admire Shakhtar's office, its perseverance, its ability to resolve football situations in favor of its team. And compare it to the way Lviv's office does it.
And the only thing that is illogical in this situation is the position of the UPL. Yes, the league abdicates responsibility for postponing matches. Yes, the regulations state that all this should happen with the consent of the two clubs. But this wording of the question infuriates me the most. One of the main tasks of the league, which unites 16 clubs, is to create equal conditions for everyone. But on the other hand, all those whom these powerful and influential people wipe their feet on are silent, everyone is happy with everything. "Do you like being a 'sufferer'? Be one," Vatsko said.
