The UAF Control and Disciplinary Committee, at two meetings held three days apart last week, adopted a number of highly resonant decisions.
Photo by Alexander PopovDynamo striker Vladyslav Vanat, Dnipro-1 forward Martins Peglou, Oleksandriya coach Ruslan Rotan and Dnipro administrator Vadym Komardin have been suspended for various terms for their previous offences on the football pitch, or rather off it.
In addition, several clubs have been subjected to monetary fines for violating the regulations on additional security measures when organizing and holding professional football matches under martial law - Shakhtar, Minay, Dnipro-1 and Veres. And the latter two have been caught in the presence of spectators in the stands during home games for the second time in a row.
Naturally, this could not go unnoticed by the domestic sports media. As well as the twists and turns of the matches of the 27th matchday of the Ukrainian championship.
Should there be spectators in the stands?
There is probably no doubt that given the ongoing Russian aggression, the domestic calendar games should be played without spectators for security reasons. How many more air raids, evacuations of game participants to shelters and forced breaks in the matches are needed to be convinced of the seriousness of the matter.
However, it seems that the adopted rules are not binding for everyone. And now Veres, who have previously been found guilty of violating the regulations, have once again decided to distinguish themselves by announcing a flash mob in support of the Ukrainian armed forces at the match against Shakhtar, essentially selling tickets under the guise of passes. He had to abandon the venture only after a stern warning.
"The football community and many media outlets resonated with such a desire of our club - reads Veres's official statement.-The relevant authorities have warned that the match will not start if people gather in the stands. Also, the club may be stripped of points in the standings" (Ua.tribuna.com, 18.05.23).
At the same time Rivne residents continue to be surprised that thousands of people can gather indoors at theatres, shopping malls and at concerts, while several hundred people are not allowed into a huge stadium. Therefore, the regulations, in their opinion, should be adjusted.
"Veres continues to defend the position that a certain percentage of spectators and the club's partners should be present at official matches. Otherwise, it is unclear why the championship is needed. Do clubs play for the fans or for themselves? (Ua.tribuna.com, 18.05.23).
Dmytro Kyrylenko, Shakhtar's commercial director, shares the same opinion: "I have a deep respect for the management ofVeresa. People invest in the infrastructure - the stadium, the training ground, the academy. Their desire to play matches with the supporters in a decent stadium, which they recently won, is fully justified. And their initiativeto help ZSU deserves great respect" (Ua-football.com, 19.05.23).
At the same time, Kyrylenko regrets that the clubs are now restricted by the regulations, which must be adhered to. And he urges the UAF to develop regulations which would allow spectators to attend UPL games next season, hoping that by joint efforts the idea can be realized. It would be right for the funds realized from ticket sales to be transferred to the UAF. And not just fines.
Admittedly, threats to Veres did not seem to work out very well, as the facts indicate that a certain number of spectators were present in the stands at the meeting with Shakhtar. Who and how will be punished this time? After all, de jure it was a home game for the Pitmen, although de facto it took place on the opponents' pitch. A similar incident took place on May 3 at the Shakhtar-Minay match held in Zakarpattya. And then the Pitmen were fined.
Oleksandr Sazhko, a columnist for Ua.tribuna.com, developed the theme of spectators' presence in the stands: "Many will be surprised at the appeal to return the spectators to the stadiums when the shelling of Ukraine by Russian rockets and drones has become too frequent. But in reality it is more about a formality - official permission and documentary regulation of visits to sporting events. The actual return of spectators to the stands has already partly taken place. Everyone just succeeds that it is not so" (18.05.23).
According to Sazhko's observation, those clubs breach the regulations mainly when they are far enough from the front line and have an opportunity to take advantage of their pitch. Those who do not play at home do not need their fans to come back at all. Because there's no guarantee they'll be supported at a formally "home" match, and holding a match puts extra responsibility on the club for the lives of spectators.
Nevertheless, according to the author, you need to demand from the UAF and UPL to clearly regulate the situation: "Either you should gain permission for the presence of spectators, perhaps only in certain regions, or severely punish those who violate general rules. Boz now Ukrainian football lives in some kind of virtual reality: everyone claims they have done great work and drafted the rules, but in reality everyone does what he wants"(Ua.tribuna.com, (18.05.23).
Pyatov keeps an eye on Dnipro players' officiating
As for Shakhtar vs Veres, the win (2-1) was not at all easy for the Pitmen. After Sharay drew level on 74 minutes following a corner it smelled like a sensation, according to Serhiy Sytnyk.
"Shakhtar had to show character and take the precious points. In general, it is hard for the Donetsk side to finish the season. The team, which was practically built from scratch last year under new coach Igor Jovicevic, started its way in a hurry. Nevertheless, goals, results and scores requireimprovement for the time left till the championship completion", - sums up the author (Footboom1.com, 20.05.23).
Igor Jovicevic himself, commenting on the outcome of the game, noted: "This is the first year of our project, which is being implemented by a lot of young players. And it is the first time they have received the kind of stress we are now under. They are three matches before the championship, though no one played at top levelbefore . And the way they show themselves, grow as a team, is worthy of praise. Especially now, when the cost of a mistake is very high. But we win every match. There are three final matches left. But the finals do not play, the finals are won"(Shakhtar.com, 19.05.23).
It remains to add that of the remaining three games two for Shakhtar will definitely be the final ones - against Zorya and Dnipro-1, who themselves have not lost their chances of winning the gold medals, and with them, subject to certain circumstances, considerable financial dividends.
The thing is that the Ukrainian champion has a good chance to qualify for the group stage of the Champions League, which, in fact, guarantees him several tens of millions of euros in prize money. There is only one condition for this: Inter Milan, the finalist of the tournament, must finish at least fourth in Serie A this season.
Perhaps that is why there has been an increasing number of calls recently from competitors for fair play for the title and not to get caught up in behind-the-scenes games. That's probably why everyone is keeping a close eye on each other. Probably, this is why the usually reticent goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov suddenly decided to comment on the decision of linesman Ivanov in the friendly game Dnipro 1 vs Kolos (2-1).
"Ivanov awarded a free kick in the penalty area of the team from Kovalevka in the 80th minute when the score was 1-1. I have been in football for over twenty years. As a goalkeeper I was outraged by that decision. Referees are loyal to the six-second rule - you can find several such episodes in every match. Sometimes they say: "Get the ball in! And here, the referee created a goal chance for Dnipro 1 in a tie(fanday.net, 20.05.23).
Moreover, Pyatov believes that in the Dnipro Dnipro's recent match against Ingulets (2-0), the referee was wrong to award a suspicious penalty: "If I am not mistaken, it was the same referee who awarded a strange spot-kick, and also when the scoreline was tied. I'm not saying you should ignore offences - rules are rules. But such infringements are recorded once every ten years. I would like the championship to be played out fairly in the remaining fixtures, and the referees have not interfered with that.
Oleksandr Kucher's charges netted the winning goal against Kolos, not after Pyatov's free-kick, but following a corner-kick during the penalty shoot-out. And they completely lost the first half, but pulled themselves together and managed to finish off the game. One of the goals was scored by Dovbik, who is close to setting a new Ukrainian championships record. For this, the forward needs to distinguish himself only twice (he currently has 24 successful strikes under his belt).
Not surprisingly, more and more foreign clubs are showing interest in Dovbik. Galatasaray and Marseille have surfaced recently.
"The realities of our championship show that for less than 15 million, we will not give him up ", says Vyacheslav Fridman, commercial director of Dnipro 1.-If there is such a sum, there is a sensation to talk. Insanely, Dovbik must be released, he deserved it with his attitude to the cause, with the battle"(ua.tribuna.com, 18.05.23).
As for the victory over Kolos Oleksandr Kucher said: "We played two different halves. Before the break we did not have enough concentration, concentration, because we gave the opponent lots of chances and they scored a goal and could have scored more. The players were not like themselves. We can`t go out and make so many mistakes right away. We talked in the dressing room, and the team came out in the second half with a completely different attitude. We survived to the end and were rewarded with an extra goal"(Fcdnipro.com, 19.05.23).
Rotan will fix the mentality
"Zorya thrashed Ingulets 2-0 without too much effort and set a club record for the number of points scored in a season (61).
Patrick van Leeuwen, the Dutch coach of Luhansk, frankly admitted:"Our gra was not pretty.-We got off to a very bad start. The players are nervous because of the tournament situation, and when success is getting closer, it is hard to overcome emotions. We had some moments for realization, we played on the flanks, but we managed to do it all a long time later than it was possible. So we`re not completely satisfied. The main thing is that we won. And now we are preparing for the next games, the closest of which is withShakhtar(zarya-lugansk.com, 20.05.23).
Dynamo Kyiv (5-1) achieved a big away win against Oleksandrija. Ruslan Rotan, who had led his charges in the previous matchday through mediators, returned to his duties after the suspension for one match, but at the same time was named the best coach of the match day.
"By appointing Rotan after Goura's dismissal, the club management were primarily taking on responsibilities, " remarked columnist Artur Valerko on the eve of the match.-It is difficult to explain to outsiders the essence of such a switchover, and even more so if the restructuring is delayed, and there is no expected result.
But since such a vector has been chosen, it is logical to continue the experiment and be patient. At the moment, we still do not fully understand what Rotan is building. In Ukraine's youth team, success didn't come to him from the first selection either. But there the waiting was worth the result. How it will be here, we'll see" (Fanday.net, 16.05.23).
In principle, according to the author, opponents have practically no chance to knock the Alexandrians off the fifth place, and with an abundance of draws Rotan's football is distinguished by tenacity and unyieldingness. This means that European Cups - albeit in the form of the Conference League - are all but guaranteed for them. But can we consider it a success, when initially Oleksandriya wanted bronze medals?
The defeat for Kyiv had no particular impact on the team's standing in the standings. Rotan only noted: "We must accept this defeat. Deal with it calmly, analyze it. The first half we played on a decent level, but in the break we were forced to play behind the clock - they began to open, frequently began to give the supervisor of the zone. The team experiences defeats like that very badly, mentality is low. When you achieve success you need to strive for more. As for us, it is so: we win one match and already fly, we calm down. Also, the number one task is to improve the mentality"(dynamo.kiev.ua, 20.05.23).
Perhaps, there is a lot to be improved by Oleksandr Shovkovs'kyi, who temporarily replaced Mircea Lucescu on the Dynamo coaching bench. However, the fact that the team played its best match under his guidance is obvious.
"It is good to play football when you can do a lot of things, - said the acting head coach.-But for that, first of all, you have to know whatto do, how to do it, be responsible for all requests anddo everything we agreed on before the match.
We studied the opponent. Rotan's team plays attacking football, trying to constantly operate through the flanks. We were aware of everything, were preparing and executed the game plan in principle. The only negative moment - the goal we conceded through our fault"(dynamo.kiev.ua, 20.05.23).
Dynamo players conceded a goal late in the first half, but in the second half again increased the lead to three goals. And after the forced break, which lasted over half an hour, they finally managed to finish off the game. One of the goals was scored by Vladislav Vanat, who is suspended for three games. Surely, this lesson will teach the young player to be more restrained in showing their emotions.
Nazar Voloshin managed to score for the first time. Defender Anton Bol and midfielder Reshat Ramadani made their debuts for the team.
Worthy ambassadors from League One
No less curious developments are taking place at the bottom of the table. In fact, one sure candidate for relegation is already known - PFC Lviv.
"Obviously, Dulubov's dismissal didn't work - the cause of the Lions' failure in the league was not in the coach, but in the kit. When we started the new season arrogantly unprepared, and chaotically recruited players of different levels in winter. They expected better results for some reason, - Arthur Valerko speculates on the reasons of the Galicians' failure.-Andto invite Bessmertny to the team, which he did not form, was naive"(Fanday.net, 16.05.23).
In general, according to the author, such a club as Lviv could be developed. It would simply have to determine the vector of work and follow it logically. But there was a paradoxical situation: coaches Bakalov, Shumskiy, Blavatskiy and Dulub worked well in their sections. And somewhere the club itself believed that not much depends on the coach. You can recruit players, and there will still be someone with a tougher crisis. Well, they haven't!
What's next? Rumour has it that the Lions may cease to exist in the near future, with players already being asked to break their contracts. Another version is that the PFC are hoping for a possible expansion of the Premier League. The 1+1 Media correspondent Igor Tsyganyk, in particular, said of this.
"I think that "Lviv" might close after being relegated to the first league. As far as I know, the club management are not interested in continuing to finance the team. Perhaps only the school will be left. At the same time they are trying by all means to devise the option of increasing the number of teams in the elite division. Atleast such an initiative has been voiced, " the well-known TV journalist said(Ua.tribuna.com, 15.05.23).
UPL executive director Yevhen Dykyy responded promptly to this sensational news: "Atthe moment we did not receive any official appeal concerning the expansion of the league - neither from FC "Lviv", nor from otherclubs. We have regulations that do not allow increasing the number of teams. If every club wants to increase the number of participants of the games, it can lead to absurdity. That is why it is necessary to be guided exclusively by the normative-legal documents"(Ukrfootball.ua, 16.05.23).
Igor Tsyganyk also touched on the prospects of the relegation of Kharkiv "Metalist" - the second real contender for relegation: "The situation at the club is rather difficult. There are arrears in wages, there are problems with the coach. I can`t say that Ognjenovic`s appointment is a mistake. He came in at a difficult time. Most likely, Metalist management will refuse a number of players. Experienced players such as Chaikovskiy and Korkishko have not become team leaders, they have not helped young people to reach the next level"(Fanday.net, 15.05.23).
At the same time Tsyganyk believes that the Kharkiv club will not cease to exist, but will continue to function at the level of the first league, relying more and more on young players - those who are now in the U-19 championship.
It is possible that the elite will also have to part with some of their current members. After all, according to the current regulations, the two teams sitting in third-fourth place at the end of the season must play interim games against League One representatives. The dates of the matches were approved at the joint meeting of the UPL and PFL last week - on June 10 and 14.
At the same time, they also revealed the two teams who will definitely join the Premier League in the new season - Zhytomyr Poles'kyi and Obolon in Kyiv.
"In recent years, there have been many cases in Ukrainian football, when the team that won the right to play in the UPL according to the sporting principle was not promoted to the top division due to the lack of finances or the necessary infrastructure, - journalist Mykhailo Tsyruk reminded.-Such was the case with Desna from Chernihiv, whose place was taken by Veres. A season later FC Poltava failed to make a start in the elite ranks. But this time we are close to an adequate exchange between the league representatives"(Khert.ua, 16.05.23).
Moreover, as Tsyruk believes, both Polesie and Obolon won't get lost among the strongest clubs of the country.
Financial strength of Zhytomyr might be the envy of many. The colours of the team are defended by a number of experienced players, who have passed the school of top division - Budkovskiy, Shastal, Vakula, Ogirya, Gitchenko, and the team is led by authoritative Yuriy Kalitvintsev. The club has put the city Central Stadium in order and will be able to play in their native city, which is already a lot for our championship. In addition, "Polesye" have their own training base.
"Obolon is another example of a healthy sports project. Financial possibilities of the club are more modest than Poles'ka, but it has not prevented the Brewers to become one of the most stable and solid teams in the first league. And it's not just about its performance. Obolon has its own comfortable, clean football stadium with normal changing rooms, a conference room, a cafe for fans and even a fitness centre, which in itself is an incredible luxury even for some participants in the top league.
"The emergence of clubs like this, with their infrastructure and organisation, raises the level and status of our championship, " sums up the author.-And it's time for the owners and managers of other teams to realize that a club is not just about players and coaches. It is a combination of many factors which lead to success" (Xpert.ua, 16.05.23).
Victor ZhURUVLEV
