Famous football expert Oleksandr Sopko shared his thoughts on the crisis in Ukrainian club football.
Oleksandr Sopko. Photo — V. Perehniak— The current football in Ukraine somewhat reminds me of the 90s when the former football system collapsed. The quality of football has greatly decreased, as has the spectacle, intrigue, and interest from viewers. Back then, you could hear the ball clinking outside the stadium, and the working conversations of the players (to have...), because there were no spectators. It was such a sad picture.
Unfortunately, we observe something similar now, as many matches, or even practically all, take place without spectators, which, of course, discourages everyone — those who watch football on television, and primarily the players themselves, as they play in an atmosphere where they do not feel emotions. There is no support from the stands, they do not feel their fan, and the fan does not spur the team on, does not become the 12th player. No one can even shout a remark or, conversely, support you from the stands.
Football is a mutual process — players give emotions to the viewers, and the viewers give emotions to the players. All this reminded me of the 90s... The reasons are clear, and they are completely different now. And here it must be said that thank God, even in such a situation in which the country finds itself, we find the opportunity to hold the championship. And we need to thank everyone involved in organizing the championship, the referees, and also thank and support the club owners who, in this difficult time, do not abandon football and the players, and try to hold together until the end.
Of course, the level of play could not remain the same, as there is no personifying part of it — the players who would elevate everyone to their level and who set an example for especially young players to emulate rather than just compete with them. If we recall the golden decade, especially from 2005 to 2015, almost every team had a plethora of foreigners who didn't just come to earn money but actually raised the teams to a new qualitative level.
This was our progress — in all sorts of coefficients — European, world, and clubs entered the top eight, even the top seven best. But it is not worth throwing ashes on our heads. I will repeat once more: we exist, and football lives, and when we return, I am sure, to good times, we will go the path of development. The main thing now is not to lose the younger generation, not to lose the academies, schools, and to try to create conditions for our young talented players so that not all of them go abroad, and then, I am sure, our football source will not be exhausted, good shoots will emerge. Football will rise to the level we used to enjoy,” concludes Sopko.
