The Ukrainian Football Association sent a letter to UEFA and the Greek Football Federation regarding the incident during the Conference League match between Dynamo Kyiv and UEFA on 10 August.
"We are compelled to address you because of the offensive and dangerous incident that took place during the recent match of the third qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League between Aris FC (Greece) and Dynamo FC (Ukraine). An outrageous banner was displayed in the stands of the Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium (Thessaloniki, Greece), addressing Azovstal's defenders, namely Smash Azov nazis ("Destroy the Nazis of Azov"), which was visible during the match broadcast.
We assume that the banner was made by local ultras who are in contact with Russian fan movements, as the message on the banner is completely consistent with the messages of Russian propaganda. The banner was removed from the stands in about 10 minutes. However, we are very concerned about this incident, as it is a dangerous signal of a deeply flawed perception of the tragic events in Ukraine, as well as an example of unacceptable propaganda of violence at UEFA matches. The defenders of Azovstal, also known as the Azov unit of the Ukrainian army, have no connection with the Nazis, nor does anyone in Ukrainian society, but this is the narrative of Russian propaganda that it spreads around the world.
We ask UEFA and our colleagues from the Hellenic Football Federation to carefully consider the episode described and find an opportunity to take strict measures against the perpetrators, as well as preventive measures to prevent such cases in the future," the UAF letter reads, in particular.
