The Football Federation of Ukraine (FFU) is satisfied with the decision by the UEFA executive committee on Crimean clubs that were banned from participating in Russian competitions.
FFU First Vice President Anatoliy Popov said this live on the Futbol 1 television channel.
“I think it’s a victory. But the final victory will come when the competitions in Crimea are held by Ukrainian structures under the auspices of the FFU. However, this is a success indicating that no one has the right to violate laws in the football family,” Popov said.
He said that UEFA logically reached this decision, because the Russian Football Union had violated the statutes of UEFA and FIFA.
“I think the position of the president of our country has defined a lot. We welcome UEFA’s decision, but consider it as only the first step,” he said.
As reported, the UEFA executive committee banned Crimean clubs from playing in the Russian leapgue from January 1, 2015 and decided to create a special zone in Crimea, where football will develop exclusively under the auspies of UEFA.
In late November, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko met with UEFA President Michel Platini and stressed the critical importance for Ukraine to maintain control over the processes of development of football in Crimea and for UEFA not to be involved in non-football battles around the occupied peninsula.
Top stories
Not only Russia. How populists destroy the greatness of the West Wednesday, October 4, 2023 - 06:27 (EEST)
-
