On the eve of the final match of the Ukrainian Cup, in which Vorskla Poltava and Shakhtar Donetsk will meet on 15 May at the Avangard Stadium in Rivne, Igor Gryshchenko, Secretary General of the Ukrainian Football Association, spoke about the organisation of the match.
- This will be the first Ukrainian Cup final we have held since the start of the aggressor's full-scale invasion, and we have named it the Gratitude Match. We are grateful to the Ukrainian military, who made it possible to hold football competitions at all, allowed us to remember at least a part of peaceful life, and give positive emotions to Ukrainians. On our part, we would like to hold a series of events to thank the defenders of Ukraine.
The final will take place in Rivne, a city that can currently host the largest number of fans at its stadium due to the availability of shelters near the arena. We hope to hold everything at a high level.
I would like to thank the local authorities, who are involved in the organisation of the match as much as possible.
- The match will be commentated by a well-known commentator Denis Bosyanok, who is currently serving in the Ukrainian Defence Forces.
- "Yes, this will be one of the highlights of the Gratitude Match. We are, of course, grateful to Mr Denys, who is serving in Rivne region. Together with our colleagues from ICTV, we asked him to comment on the match. He was given leave for this day, for which we are very grateful to his brigade commander. And despite the fact that Mr Denis hasn't held a microphone in his hand for two years, he accepted our offer. I think the fans, who have already missed his professionalism, will be pleased to hear his familiar voice again.
- From the Ukrainian Cup final, let's move on to the preparation of our national team for Euro 2024...
- In general, a unique football summer awaits Ukraine. On 20 May, our youth national team will start Euro 2024 (U-17). Then our national teams will play at the adult Euro 2024 and immediately at the continental championship for players under the age of 19. And at the end of July, the Ukrainian Olympic team will start competing at the Games for the first time in our history - the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Therefore, all the efforts of the Ukrainian Football Association are now aimed at meeting the needs of these national teams. I hope we will be able to show a decent result in all tournaments. I urge Ukrainian fans to support all our national teams!