Oleksandr Ishchenko: "If we do not change our approach now, we will face a major failure in three to four years"

Oleksandr Ishchenko, director of the Dynamo Kyiv Children's and Youth Sports School, predicts a not-so-bright future for Ukrainian football.

- Two years of pandemic, now the war... Lviv's Rukh organises tournaments, there are competitions in Vinnytsia, and now Taras Mykhalyk is gathering teams in Kovel. But these tournaments are not comparable to international ones, they are of a completely different level. As a result, our children's and youth football is losing ground, its level is lower than it was three years ago. If we don't pay attention and change our approach now, we will face a major failure in three or four years.

Therefore, participation in international tournaments is a vital necessity for us to hold on and compete. Otherwise, we may fall into a hole and in 3-4, maximum 5 years there will be a big gap between Ukrainian clubs and European ones. We are not on the sidelines yet, we are in the pecking order, but we need to work hard to keep up," FootBoom quoted Ishchenko as saying.