The Ukrainian Football Association has sent an official letter to UEFA regarding the incident that occurred during the 49th UEFA Congress in Belgrade.
“On behalf of the Ukrainian Football Association and the entire football community of Ukraine, we address you regarding the recent incident that occurred during the 49th regular UEFA Congress in Belgrade, specifically concerning the list of deceased members of the European football family mentioned in the traditional annual memorial video.
We would like to draw your attention to the fact that Russian ex-football player Alexey Bugayev, mentioned in the provided RSF list for commemoration, was a volunteer of the Russian army during the full-scale military aggression of Russia against Ukraine. He consciously and willingly made the decision to enter Ukrainian territory and kill innocent Ukrainian people, and he died last year precisely because of these circumstances.
A similar situation relates to another ex-football player — Zaura Kaziev, who was also in this list. Moreover, Kaziev played for a club illegally created by the occupiers in temporarily occupied Crimea — “Tsk-Tavria”.
The war in Ukraine has been ongoing since 2022 and continues to this day. The aggressor, remaining unpunished, takes the lives of Ukrainians every day — football players, coaches, referees, as well as tens of thousands of peaceful citizens — children, women, elderly people — in their homes, hospitals, kindergartens, and on the streets; destroys sports infrastructure and devastates entire cities. And all this is perpetrated by Russian soldiers — such as Bugayev and Kaziev.
The Ukrainian football community emphasizes that it is unacceptable and inappropriate for the European football family to honor such individuals, placing them in the same category as truly outstanding football figures. We strongly urge your consideration of this issue. Such things should not take place,” the letter states.
