The president of SC Poltava, Serhiy Ivashchenko, commented on the information regarding the initiation of a criminal case against the club for match-fixing.
— Recently, the media disseminated information that law enforcement agencies have initiated a case against SC Poltava for match-fixing. How do you comment on this?
— The law enforcement agencies did not initiate a case against us. This case was initiated back in 2023 regarding some match-fixing. [Now] according to an application by an unknown publication to me, the materials related to us were simply added to that old case. I have not seen a separate criminal case specifically concerning our club.
Regarding the performances of the para-football blogger (Ihor Burbas mentioned suspicious bookmaker odds movements in Poltava’s matches in the UPL in one of his recent issues — ed.) and Mr. Baranka, an expert in football, they have no facts. These are simply assumptions.
I can explain practically any of our games. For example, when talking about the cup game with Nyva, a day before the match, we published that the U-19 would play [, not the main team]. If the company managers who accept bets don’t see this, that’s their problem, not ours.
— Did law enforcement directly address your club in the course of their investigations?
— There is absolutely nothing anywhere.
— So all you know is from the media?
— Yes. Everything I know is exclusively what has been published in Telegram channels.
— Did the UAF Ethics and Fair Play Committee contact your club regarding this?
— No, there was no contact.
— Yesterday, there was also information that Poltava players are ready to take a polygraph test to prove their innocence. Do you know anything about this?
— No one contacted me. Perhaps they communicated directly with the players, but not with the management.
But I’m interested in something else. These publications appeared two days before our game with Shakhtar, when Baranka spoke out. Then there was silence for two weeks, and no one mentioned Poltava. Then, a day before the game with LNZ, this issue arises again. As Winnie-the-Pooh said, «Things don’t just happen.»
— Are you hinting that opposing clubs could be involved in this?
— No, blaming Shakhtar or LNZ is absolute nonsense. Why would they do it? It’s not their level; they are powerful clubs.
— Then whom are you hinting at?
— I can’t hint at anyone because I don’t know where it’s coming from. That it’s not just happening — yes, I know. But from where, I don’t understand yet. I have internal guesses, but I don’t want to voice them to avoid making unfounded accusations.
— To sum up: do you deny that Poltava participates in match-fixing?
— Poltava did not engage in match-fixing. As the director, I state that the club’s management has nothing to do with organizing or even considering match-fixing.
— It’s possible for management not to know if players are involved in match-fixing. Have you spoken with your players about this?
— Of course, we talked even before the game with Shakhtar. The players assured me that they are not involved in these things. Naturally, you can’t get into each person’s soul, and we don’t have such a security service like some teams to monitor phones. But if there were facts, not just words, the UAF Ethics Committee and law enforcement agencies would have been «investigating» us for a long time.
— This story coincides with a recent court verdict that punished Poltava for illegal casino advertising?
— No, that’s an old story, not a current one. It’s from 2023. We had a sponsorship deal with the Golden Gate casino. We were accused of advertising them, although it only meant that Golden Gate casino is a sponsor of SC Poltava.
We appealed the fine, but the courts sided with the Gambling and Lottery Regulation Commission. Logically, it’s strange because UAF sponsors Vbet, Premier League clubs have gaming platforms among their sponsors that have similar [gambling] licenses. The same ads are shown in stadiums and on TV, and that’s not considered a violation. But the court made a decision, and we are complying with it.
So one matter has as much to do with the other as the subway does with a spaceship. If there were any facts besides Mr. Baranka’s words, we would have already been investigated. When he said that betting on Poltava would be banned, I said: «Thank God!» The club will feel neither cold nor hot because of this.