Vadym Chervak: "I apologized to Sofia immediately. But she didn't say anything back"

Defender of Zhytomyr "Polissya" Vadym Chervak commented on the situation with his six-month suspension for pushing female referee Sofia Prychyna in a First League match against Zaporizhzhia Metalurh in an interview with the TaToTake telegram channel.

- How did you feel after the game?

- Shock. I haven't recovered yet. It's very hard. I want to let people know that I really regret what happened. It was not intentional. I have never hit anyone on the field on purpose. It's just mean.

- Did you apologize personally to Sofia Prychyna?

- Yes, right after I returned to the base. I didn't have her number. I wrote her a personal message on Instagram.

- What did she say?

- Nothing. She read it, but ignored it. Then I posted a post with an official apology to everyone.

- Did you attend the meeting of the ACC on your case?

- Yes. I wrote a letter and apologized.

- Don't you think you were punished too excessively?

- I cannot judge. I still haven't gotten over it. There is no cool head now. It's the first time in my life I've faced such a situation.

- Don't you think it would have ended differently if it had been an arbitrator, not a referee?

- Look, I wasn't thinking about it at that moment. I felt a surge of emotions. I was running almost from the center of the field and, of course, I didn't try to push anyone. But Sofia was retreating from her partners in my direction. I wanted to slow down, but I miscalculated. When I realized that I was not in time, I put my hands up so as not to knock her over. Once again, I am definitely guilty of allowing physical contact. But I, like everyone else, just wanted to talk.

- Was the outburst of emotions caused by the decision of the referee not to award a penalty?

- Yes. It seemed to me extremely unfair. The problem was that we felt it moment by moment. And when the referee did not award a 100 percent penalty in extra time, the pent-up emotions came out.

- Did anyone support you with a kind word at all?

- Only my family and closest friends, as well as a few people from whom I did not expect support at all. But yes, I was left alone, alone with my problem.

- Have you read what Yevhen Levchenko said about this situation?

- Yes. Thank you very much to Yevhen. He is the only person from the world of football who stood up for me.

- What are you doing now?

- I'm resting at my parents' place in Ivano-Frankivsk. I needed a change of scenery.

- What do you plan to do next?

- I don't know yet. I don't justify myself. I try to accept everything that God gives me. And I will move on. I will do everything possible to return to football. I want people to see me as a player again.

The incident involving Chervak and the reasons: