Ihor Tsyhanyk: "Why was Minaj granted a licence for this stadium?"

Well-known Ukrainian TV presenter and commentator Igor Tsyganik expressed his opinion on the situation around the unplayed match of the 16th round of the Ukrainian championship between Minaj and Dynamo.

"The match between Minaj and Dynamo did not take place solely due to the negligence of our football officials. And someone has to be punished.

Dynamo players were thinking about how to get to this match. They decided to travel to Uzhhorod by train rather than by bus. Upon arrival, the Kyiv team had a training session there, went out for the game the next day and in the 2nd minute an air raid alarm sounded, which lasted quite a while. As a result, it was decided that it was impossible to finish the match because there was no artificial lighting at the stadium and it was impossible to ensure the match.

How do you explain this? Uzhhorod is not Kryvyi Rih, Dnipro or Kharkiv. We have been on alert for a year and a half, and couldn't we have foreseen this story, that the air alert could last for a long time? After the alert was over, we could have a meeting, and I'm sure Dynamo wanted to do that, because it made no sense for them to go there, then return without playing and still go back to Uzhhorod to play the match.

And the problem is that the UAF licensing centre has been doing nothing but getting paid for allowing or not allowing clubs to compete for many, many years. Everyone is talking about it. This is the mess that exists in Ukrainian football. This is not the way things should be. The licensing centre, which allowed Minaj to apply for this stadium, is clearly to blame. It could have been agreed somehow that if there is no light, then the club is responsible, because you can't hold matches at stadiums without artificial lighting. Moreover, there is Avangard Stadium nearby. Of course, you can't calculate the alarms, but the possibility that it's December and it's already dark from 4pm, could you have thought about that? Why was Minaj granted a licence for this stadium?

Now the UPL has recognised the match as unplayable due to the prolonged air raid and decided to postpone the match to a later date. Who will now compensate Dynamo for travelling to this match? This is not force majeure. Force majeure would be if the stadium met all the requirements and the alarm lasted all day. It does happen. And now we understand that if there had been a full-fledged stadium with artificial lighting, this match would have taken place, but a little later. Where do we look for "holes" in the calendar now to play this match? Have you seen how many unplayed matches we have? I have the impression that our leaders will play in two days in the spring.

Now Dynamo Kyiv has a complaint: either reimburse the trip or count a technical defeat to the opponent. Perhaps the Kyiv team is thinking about appealing the Premier League's decision to play the match later. Let the Control and Disciplinary Committee explain why this situation occurred? Why did the match not take place? Who will reimburse the costs? Someone must be held responsible for this, right?" Tsyganik said on Tsyganik Live.