"Kryvbas has asked UEFA to replace Turkish referee Arda Kardesler, who was appointed for the 2024/2025 Conference League playoff match between Kryvbas and Betis, which will take place next Thursday, August 22 in Kosice, Slovakia.
"We learned that this referee served a friendly match between Russia and Serbia on March 21, 2024, which took place in Moscow, Russia. Because of this, we consider it unacceptable to involve Arda Kardeschler in the service of a match involving a Ukrainian football club.
As you know, the war in Ukraine has been going on for three years now due to the large-scale military aggression of the Russian Federation. Despite the war, Ukraine continues to host football competitions at all levels. We owe this opportunity to the Ukrainian military, who have been bravely defending our country all along, protecting it from the Russian occupiers.
In the 2023/2024 season, FC Kryvbas received the right to represent Ukraine on the international stage. However, the refereeing of our international match by a referee who refereed a match with the participation of Russians, and in Russia itself, discredits our entire Club in front of all Kryvbas fans, including many military personnel who are currently defending our country from Russian attacks, as well as in front of the whole of Ukraine, which is suffering from Russian military aggression.
"Kryvbas also informed the Ukrainian Football Association and the UAF Referees Committee about the situation. We believe that common sense will prevail," reads the statement on Kryvbas' official website.