It is the beginning of March on the calendar, which means that there are only two and a half weeks left before the nearest match of the Ukrainian national team against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Euro-2024 play-offs.
At stake is the continuation of the struggle, and ideally - winning a ticket to the continental football forum, which will be held this summer in Germany.
It is clear that it is Sergei Rebrov's team that will be the priority of the national association's management in the near future, and the football community will focus most of its attention on it.
Actually, in order to prepare the blue-and-yellow team for the March tests, the UAF has planned a training camp in Marbella, Spain, which is scheduled to start on 13 March.
"The players from the national championship will go to Marbella first, and then there will be representatives of foreign clubs, - Andriy Shevchenko said back in late February. - It is important that the boys arrive motivated, and we will do everything necessary for their effective preparation"(Sport.ua, 25.02.24).
At the same time, well-known TV journalist Ihor Cyganyk recalled that Rebrov had already managed to do a lot during his incomplete year as head coach of the Ukrainian national team. In fact, he has caught the change of generations, forming a new team, the leaders of which are other players. And only a dubiously unassigned penalty against the Italians prevented it from winning a direct ticket to Euro 2024.
"But I really want us to qualify for the European Championship. It is important for the country, for the fans, for the people on the front. They must understand what they are fighting and suffering for. I can firmly say that I believe in Rebrov, " Tsyganyk summarised(Sport-express.ua, 25.02.24).
He also reported insider news that according to preliminary data, the UAF has a budget deficit of about two million euros.
The information was confirmed by the editor in chief of the Centre Novyna agency, Olha Vitak: "The costs in the next two months are very serious. It is necessary to find 1.5-2 million euros to new revenue from the UEFA, which is expected only in the quarter"(Centernews.com.ua, 26.02.24).
Andriy Shevchenko was as specific as possible: "As of today, the UAF has a budget deficit of 105 million hryvnyas. What is the reason for it? After the audit it will become clearer. But it is necessary to reckon, as the audit is made for nine years. And not only financial audit, but also operational audit - theadministrative activity of the UAF is analysed, and it makes the process more difficult"(Ua.tribuna.com, 02.03.24).
The president of the association promised that the results of the inspection will be known to everyone: "We plan to give information about our activity. Including financial ones. One of our first steps towards the digitalisation of football is the introduction of electronic document management. It will be easier to receive information. It is important for me to make the UAF activity process open".
In the meantime, the new management had to borrow about 700 thousand euros from business partners for two months for its immediate needs. Including for operational costs associated with the preparation and holding of matches of the national team.
In an interview with Ua.tribuna.com journalist Oleh Scherbakov, published last Saturday, UAF president Andriy Shevchenko, in fact, summarised the interim results of a month in his new position, accumulating thoughts about his intentions and actions and supplementing them with very curious details.
By the way, this is only Shevchenko's second extensive interview after being elected to office. The first was in early February, when the head of the Ukrainian association visited the leading YouTube channel "Bombardir" Roman Bebeh.
In both cases, the businesslike, concrete style of conversation, inherent in the famous footballer, and now a prominent functionary, should certainly be taken as a guide to action by those who will have to co-operate with Shevchenko and his team. In such messages in general should be read with a pencil in hand, so as not to miss the most important in them.
So, was it difficult to start? - was the first question.
"It was not easy. We have just started to implement changes - in terms of structure, personnel issues. We reduced the number of committees from 18 to 11, changed practically all the heads of these committees. Including the head of the committee of arbitrators.
Refereeing is an important and painful issue for clubs and fans. The first priority is to restore confidence in the referees. For this purpose, we will implement two innovations. The first is the polygraph, which will be passed by all arbitrators. A clear and understandable procedure for this is being developed. Another thing is the recognition of arbitrators by the draw" (02.03.24).
Shevchenko added that a compromise had been reached with Italian Luciano Luci, and he had resigned as head of the referees' committee. But his fellow countryman Nicola Rizzoli, one of the most authoritative, according to the UAF president, referees in the world, remained an adviser to the association. But he is not Kateryna Monzul's supervisor.
There were different opinions about Monzul's appointment, but there is trust in her, and that is the main thing. During her refereeing career she has worked on very difficult matches and she is respected by her colleagues.
As for the polygraph, it is seen as an opportunity to obtain additional information and will have an auxiliary function, which referees can work with and which cannot. But if an arbitrator does not pass the polygraph, he will not return to work.
Regarding his closest assistants, Andriy Shevchenko said: "I have known Pavel Boychuk for over 20 years. He is an expert both in law and finance, who now closes a large part of the tasks. As for Rebrov, everything is clear - the team, the vertical of the team, the system, the structure.
Oleksandr Shevchenko supports Lviv association, which is one of the best in the country. The processes are clearly organised there, it works efficiently. There were very positive comments about Shevchenko as a team player. I know Ihor Hryshchenko from the time of his work in the Ukraine national team. He is a competent player and, what is important, with an unblemished reputation".
And as for Francesco Baranca, who heads the Ethics Committee, Andriy Shevchenko added that he intends to negotiate with him on further co-operation, as this is a very serious area, requiring the solution of new problems.
Shevchenko also actually announced changes in the media team of the UAF, as in this area it is necessary to reach a higher level of openness. He told about co-operation with law enforcement agencies regarding the plant for the production of artificial pitches, the equipment of which is now under arrest.
He believes that it is inappropriate to talk about the construction of the national team base in Knyazhichy during the war. Although this project is very important for the national team and the whole Ukrainian football. He expressed his opinion about sponsorship. He touched upon the problem of mobilisation of athletes, including footballers.
At the same time Andriy Shevchenko confirmed the importance of contacts with representatives of national associations of other countries. A number of such contacts took place during the recent UEFA Congress in Paris: "Wehave discussed cooperation on training of our coaches. We are also talking about organising summer football camps for our children from the frontline territories. We will discuss these tasks at the next meeting of the Assembly of Regions, which is created for more effective cooperation in the field".
Shevchenko also told about the meeting with the CEO of adidas: "We have a contract withJoma expiring ,and we have every right to meet potential partners. Adidas is a great company, it used to work with us. And I openly say that we have a dialogue with them regarding possible cooperation. We are evaluating different variants and must find the best one for us.
According to the UAF president, now the Ukrainian association is testing one technological system, which will allow to collect and systematise information about young footballers, who due to known circumstances went abroad. There are already the first results. Recently, three Ukrainian boys were identified, who are engaged in academies of English clubs.
There are young talents in other countries - in Germany, Spain, Austria, Italy. A special scouting service under the leadership of Serhiy Rebrov looks after this direction. In fact, it is one of the elements of the institute of national teams.
"The reality is such that now we must be quick, bendy, vinakhidlivymi and use all the possibilities, I have. We must weld. Whatever welds there were, whatever happened earlier - everything is behind us. We have a goal for the development of football, let's unite for it, " - summed up the conversation UAF president Andriy Shevchenko(Ua.tribuna.com, 02.03.24).
Last Saturday in the match of the 19th round of the Ukrainian championship at the Valeriy Lobanovskiy stadium Kyiv Dynamo defeated Chornomorets Odessa (1:0). Shepelev scored the only goal near the end of the first half, replacing Bujalskiy, who had injured his ankle, in the starting line-up. For Oleksandr Shovkovskiy, this victory was his sixth consecutive win in charge of the Kyiv side.
The highlight of the match was the presence of 1,800 fans in the stands, who obviously missed the game of their favourite team, as, in fact, the team had not experienced emotions associated with the presence of spectators for a long time. The last time Dynamo played at their home stadium in front of their fans was on 12 December 2021. And the next home meeting was to be held on 26 February 2022....
In order to comply with the safety requirements of spectators, the capital club in case of an air raid promptly equipped a shelter directly at the stadium, under the car park, where fans could wait out the signal. Tickets for the match were sold out in less than 24 hours.
The fact that the Bilo-Syni lost to Chornomorets with the same score (2:3) in the last two encounters added piquancy to the match. And also - the presence of five natives of Odesa - Buschan, Vivcharenko, Shepelev, Kabaev and Supriyaga (the latter came on as a substitute).
"Sensing the understandable nathennya, the hosts from the first few minutes offered the superiors a high tempo, neabiyakiy tisk and for a great round deserved a quick goal. But first Mykola Shaparenko scored a shot from outside the box, from the striker's position and almost without any hindrances. And then Vladislav Vanat was unable to beat the goalkeeper at close quarters, having rushed to the goal after a slick postril Volodymyr Shepeliev", - described the events of the opening minutes Footclub.com.ua (02.03.24).
However, the hosts failed to score a quick goal and the game gradually levelled. Both teams created a good moment each: Nigerian sailor Ihede's lunge was not easily deflected to a corner by Buschan, and after Shaparenko's corner kick, Vanat made a header and the ball touched the crossbar of the Chernomorets goal.
Well, and then there was a feed from Voloshin, a mistake of the Odessit goalkeeper Varakuta and a nimble Shepelev's shot.
"The second half passed in a more tumultuous manner. The opponents tried to attack, recorded good combinations, the goalkeeper repeatedly entered the game, but it did not come to a productive strike. In the final part of the match Dynamo tried to act without risk, concentrating, first of all, on ball control"(Dynamo.kiev.ua, 02.03.24).
After the match Oleksandr Shovkovskiy first of all expressed his condolences to the families of the victims of the barbaric enemy attack on Odessa. Once again, he thanked the defenders and defencewomen for giving them the opportunity to play football. He paid tribute to the fans who created a truly football atmosphere at the stadium.
As for the game itself, he said: "We tuned for a hard match. Recently Dynamo did not manage to play successfully against Chornomorets, so we understood that today it would not be an easy walk.
What failed? To realise the chances we had, especially at the start of the match. Not realising those opportunities, we lost the initiative a little bit. At halftime we made some adjustments and the second half, I think, we played more dynamically. But the opponent also tried to play according to their plan. Football is beautiful because it is unpredictable. Although, I repeat, if we had used at least half of our chances, we would have finished the matchmore calmly"(Dynamo.kiev.ua, 02.03.24).
Despite the fact that Vladyslav Vanat did not manage to distinguish himself in the duel with the Odessians, he still tops the list of scorers of the Ukrainian championship - 9 goals (plus 6 assists). By the way, Vanatu was named the best player of the previous round, while Oleksandr Shovkovskiy was named the best coach of the 18th game day.
For the second match in a row 18-year-old Taras Mikhavko played in the centre of Dynamo defence in pair with Popov. It seems that the coaching staff made a choice in favour of Taras in comparison with other centre-backs, first of all left-footed Sirota. Although the game was not without its rough edges. At the same time, idle talk about the need to acquire a more experienced foreign performer is subsiding.
"I think that no foreign centre-back will help Dynamo in the second part of the championship, - commentator Viktor Vatsko thinks. - He didn`t pass the training camp, didn`t adapt, didn`t play with the team, doesn`t know the language. But a normal centre-back should speak on the pitch, lead his partners, give advice".
And blogger Sergei Tishchenko warns: now the main thing for fans, experts and journalists is not to make a star out of Mikhavko, not to fill themselves with high expectations: "Mikhavko makes only the first steps in adult football. A priori it is impossible to do without mistakes. It should be treated with understanding, and not demand that Taras today is simply not able to give.
There is no need to create any pressure on the player, to compare him with this or that colleague. Serious conclusions about Taras Mikhavko's game will be appropriate when he plays a certain number of matches at a serious level. Then it will become clear what his prospects are"(Dynamo.kiev.ua, 01.03.24).
The 19th round started on Friday, when local Polesie and Cherkasy LNZ met in Zhytomyr. To the disappointment of the hosts, they lost (0:1), with a goal conceded in stoppage time after a rude blunder by experienced goalkeeper Denis Boyko, who put the ball on a platter to the equally experienced Teske Oleinik.
"It happens in football," Yuriy Kalitvintsev reacted philosophically to the blunder. - It's a pity, of course, that we lost. In the first half we were a bit worried, we really wanted to please the fans, but we burned out. In the second half we added speed, took control of the game, made a lot of penetrating passes. However, we did not find a player who would have put a point"(Sport.ua, 01.03.24).
Meanwhile, just one point, scored by Zhytomyrians after the resumption of the championship, considerably complicated the team's task in the fight for the top three. After all, the competitors are not slumbering.
"Dnipro-1" on Sunday in the capital took the upper hand over "Obolonya" (1:0) and moved to the first place in the current standings.
"We re-watched the Obolonets' game with Chornomorets in the previous round, when they conceded a goal only in the last few minutes, and we realised that the match would be important. So it happened. In general, every team plays for the result, and the lower the opponent is in the standings, the harder it is to play against him. They give in to the game, because it is the last one. They play from defence, and this defence is important," commented head coach ofDnipro Yuriy Maksimov(scdnipro1.com.ua, 03.03.24).
In the final match of the tour at the Arena Lviv, Shakhtar beat Kryvbas 5-2. According to Footclub.com.ua, the Pitmen's success was facilitated by a quick goal and a second-half penalty.
On 57 minutes, Kryvyi Rih's Croatian Ilic left the pitch. After a VAR review, Balakin showed the midfielder a red card for kicking an opponent in the legs from behind, leaving Kryvbas in the minority for more than the final half-hour of the match. And the fate of the meeting was sealed.
"The game was even until the 57th minute, and after the game with Shakhtar is important. I won't lie, I didn't see whether our footballer stepped on the opponent. As for the second goal of the Pitmen... We respect our opponents very much. When we offend, we start picking them up, stroking them. But we need to repent and take our position. "Shakhtar have a tendency to do just that - to play the ball quickly, " Yuriy Vernidub reacted to the failure(sport-express.ua, 03.03.24).
For Shakhtar, this victory was their first in four games played this year. However, the Pitmen will put a full six points in the standings after two Premier League rounds, despite the away draw with Oleksandriya (0-0) in the match played on 26 February.
The reason is that midfielder Ivan Kalyuzhny played for the hosts in that game. What and confirmed in the club.
"It's a great pity, Kalyuzhniy was not declared for FC Oleksandriya for the match with FC Shakhtar on 26th of lut 2024, - admitted the official website of Alexandrians. - This mistake was due to the human factor. We reiterate to all supporters, the team and the coaching staff. The sports director has been suspended from performing his duties"(Fco.com.ua, 27.02.24).
Actually, these facts became the basis for the relevant decision of the UAF Control and Disciplinary Committee.
"The regulations in these matters are quite unambiguous," says Sport.ua columnist Oleksiy Slivchenko. - Zokrema, in paragraph 7 of article 13 of the UPL regulations of the flowing season it is prescribed: "For entering to the referee's report the name of a football player who was suspended from participation in matches or an unannounced football player, as well as a football player, whose contract term has expired, if this football player participated in the match, the team shall be awarded a technical penalty (0. 3:3), and the team-superior - technical victory (3:0) (02.03.24).
Thus, Dnipro-1 leads the Ukrainian league table nominally, as Dynamo and Shakhtar have a chance to catch up and overtake it in terms of points lost. By the way, last week Dynamo found out the dates of two of their three postponed matches: on 4 April with Zorya and on 17 April with Minay.
And the next, the 20th round, will start next Thursday, when Veres - Dynamo and Zorya - Minai will play.
Viktor ZHURAVLEV