Dynamo Kyiv head coach Oleksandr Shovkovskyi answered journalists' questions at a press conference before the first match against Partizan Serbia in the 2nd qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, and began his speech with a small statement.
Oleksandr Shovkovskyi- Good evening. I won't beat around the bush, but with your permission, I'll make a small statement right away. We fully support the UEFA laws and the principles of fair play and always treat our opponents with respect, demonstrating this in every way possible on the football field, as well as before, during and after matches.
You know very well that our country has been at war for three years now. Every day, our people and children are dying under Russian strikes and missiles. Our club does not separate itself from the people of Ukraine, constantly supporting our defenders and people affected by Russian aggression in this difficult period. During their performances in the European arena, the players try to raise the morale of our defenders and people affected by its consequences. Many of them are longtime fans of Dynamo Kyiv.
To put it mildly, we were very surprised to see FC Partizan travel to Moscow for a friendly, "brotherly" tournament, where they played a series of matches against local clubs and expressed signs of solidarity with those who are waging an aggressive, invasive war against us, occupying our lands, destroying our cities and villages, killing and maiming our people and children. This is especially true given the clear decision of UEFA to exclude Russian clubs from all international competitions in Europe, which was made immediately after the start of the full-scale aggression.
We specifically did not make any public statements on this issue so as not to incite hostility before the match. However, given all the above circumstances, we are forced to cancel all official events. Our position is based solely on the actions of FC Partizan Belgrade, which traveled to this tournament to a country that attacks and kills citizens of our country. We consider these actions unfriendly to our club and our country.
Despite everything I have said above, the team is fully focused on preparation and is eager to showcase its professional qualities, which we aim to demonstrate in the game against Partizan, fully complying with UEFA rules, Fair play and fair play. I ask you not to come back to these issues. I will not answer any questions you may have about this. I will only answer questions about the team and its preparation for this match.
- What are the forecasts for Volodymyr Shepelev's recovery?
- Unfortunately, it happened on the last day, and he has a rather painful ankle injury. I can't say for sure how long he will miss, but I think he is out for two weeks for sure.
- Are there any other losses in the team? Is everyone ready for the match?
- You know that two of our players are now in the location of the Ukrainian U-19 national team. The team took second place in their group and reached the semifinals, where they continue to fight. All the players of the U19 team and those who already belong to the first team performed well in this tournament. It is thanks to their actions that they were able to defeat the Italian national team, the European champion. We wish them a successful performance.
Three other players belonging to Dynamo are preparing for the Olympics in Paris. These are Rubchynskyi, Bragaru and Mykhailenko. We cannot count on them.
- Your opponent has already played official matches this season, while you have not yet. Is this an advantage for Partizan over Dynamo?
- It's not easy to answer this question. Only the game can give an answer. But we have perfectly analyzed the actions of our opponent and have a plan for the game. I think there is an understanding of how we will act. I believe that we are prepared quite well, but, again, the game will show everything.
