Well-known sports lawyer Ilya Skoropashkin commented on the situation with the repeated suspension of the midfielder of the Ukrainian U-20 national team, Gennady Synchuk — in yesterday’s match of the 1/8 finals of the World Cup-2025 (U-20) against Spain (0:1).
Ilya Skoropashkin— Ilya, I am not a lawyer and know FIFA rules worse than you, but it’s the first time I hear that a player can be banned for being off the field during a match in which he was not allowed to participate. The UAF is surprised by such a decision, what do you say?
— Clause “b” of part 2 of Article 66 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code explicitly prohibits a suspended player from entering the locker room, tunnel, or technical zone before or during the match, being present during warm-ups or sitting on the team’s bench.
Only after the final whistle can the suspended player join his team in the locker room;
— You live and learn. Have there been such cases before?
— A case can be made with Arsène Wenger. In 2011, during a Champions League match, being suspended, he was in the stands but was giving instructions to his assistants by phone. This was deemed a violation, and Arsène Wenger faced additional sanctions for two matches.
— Who is to blame in the situation with the captain of the Ukrainian team: the staff or Synchuk himself?
— Of course, every footballer should know the rules of the game and regulatory norms very well. However, it would be wrong to place all the blame solely on the player. The responsible staff of the national team should have controlled this as well. And the briefing of players, including the suspended ones, should not be dismissed either. In other words, shared responsibility.
As for UAF preparing an appeal… Not knowing the details of the case, I cannot comment. But clause “b” of part 2 of article 61 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code states that suspensions of up to 2 matches or up to two months are not appealable.
Viktor Glukhenkyi
