Mykola Nesenyuk: "Shakhtar players are little students of a big swindler"

Well-known journalist Mykola Nesenyuk has spoken out about the high-profile episode of yesterday's match of the 19th round of the Ukrainian championship between Shakhtar Donetsk and Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih (5:2). In the case of the second goal, Dibango (Kryvbas) broke the rules against Zubkov (Shakhtar) in his own half of the pitch. While the latter was writhing on the pitch and the former was trying to apologise and help him to his feet, the healthy Shakhtar players won a free-kick and scored.

"The fair play of football finally ended in the summer of 1986, when in the quarter-finals of the World Cup, the Argentine Maradona scored a goal against England with his hand, and the referees 'didn't notice'. Television was already quite advanced at the time, so everyone could see Maradona's insidious fraudulent trick! And then they didn't condemn the football cheat, but rather proclaimed him the best in the world.

It was then that football changed forever. Because if Maradona can cheat in front of the whole world, why can't I do the same? That was the thought of every kid who had the conscience to play football dishonestly. Soon, all the numerous dirty football "tricks" were taught to young children in football schools quite openly and shamelessly. Because if you don't cheat, you can't win! Proven by Maradona!

Therefore, you should not blame Shakhtar players who scored a dastardly goal against Kryvbas yesterday, which the referee dutifully counted. They are not fraudsters - they are Maradona's disciples! Little disciples of the great swindler!" Nesenyuk wrote on his Facebook page.