Famous journalist Ihor Tsyhanyk, commenting on the scandalous situation with the unwillingness of Bayer forward Artem Stepanov to join the Ukraine U-20 national team, as well as the offer from Volodymyr Yezerstskyi to Karpaty player Artur Shakh to sign a contract with a Ukrainian agent, expressed his opinion, in particular, about the famous football agent Vadym Shablii.
Ihor Tsyhanyk“There is a component of agency wars that are actually killing Ukrainian football. And UAF does not influence this in any way. When talking about corruption in Ukraine’s youth teams, before the situation with Stepanov, there were an incredible number of such stories. For example: Hennadii Synchuk did not make it to the list of footballers called up to the junior national teams because the representatives of PASS Consulting did not consider it necessary to call this player. Only Myron Markevych along with Volodymyr Yezerstskyi insisted that this footballer be called up—and he shone so much that he was sold for 5 million euros.
Now in our youth national teams, people who have absolutely no relation to football are in charge. Having gone through some courses for two months, they invent their base of footballers whom they “push” into Ukraine’s national teams. Now coaches have already started to limit this access because they understood that they were being fed just rubbish. And really talented kids do not have the opportunity to get into the youth national team.
The word Shablii for me is the evil of Ukrainian football, it is the bottom of Ukrainian football. This is a hyena-person. This is a person who destroys Ukrainian football. He set up Serhii Rebrov. Walking next to the head coach of the national team of Ukraine, he shows how close he is to the national team, and this influences the thoughts of some footballers who have changed agents in favor of Shablii. He just stole these people. Now he sets up other people, other national teams. In our national teams, there is a struggle between two agencies that hate each other. They want to tear off a juicy piece of Ukrainian football and put it in their pocket,” Tsyhanyk said on the air of his own program on Youtube.
