UEFA wanted to avoid this match at all costs. Russia and Ukraine must play, however

The football authorities wanted to avoid this match at all costs. UEFA and FIFA make sure that the two teams do not compete with each other in the world of football. In the European or world championships, Russia and Ukraine cannot be matched in one qualifying group. For Euro 2020, both eleven were allocated to groups in such a way that they could not meet until the final. At the World Cup, the rules are similar. Something that is a dangerous situation for football activists does not raise such concerns in other disciplines. In the basketball tournaments of the national team, there were no national rules on the matches that were mutually exclusive. However, they were used in meetings of club teams in European cups. In the world of volleyball, the possible Russian-Ukrainian rivalry was not taken into account. . It was their first meeting under the net in 15 years. It was exactly the same time for such a match among futsalers. It is a bit of a surprise, but hardly a cause for concern.

Blocking Ukrainian-Russian rivalry

These two teams will play together, although the organizers of the futsal Euro made it impossible for the first phase of the tournament (group competition) to meet each other. From the playoffs, however, everything cannot be controlled. Ukraine advanced to this stage quite happily, thanks to a better goal difference from Serbia and the Netherlands. Then it went well too. In the quarter-finals, Ukraine defeated the higher-ranked Kazakhstan (5: 3), and Russia managed to deal with Georgia (3: 1) as planned.

In this way, the situation from 2007 was repeated, when both teams also faced the futsal Euro. Then the Russians won. But since then, a lot has happened between the countries in the social, political and military sphere. The Russians annexed the Crimea, and the fight for the Donbas zone took a total of several thousand victims. The conflict continues to this day. Recently, the situation has become even more acute due to maneuvers by Russian troops along the border with Ukraine. Moscow has been under pressure for months and has been demanding legal guarantees from the US and the West that NATO will not expand to the East. There are no such guarantees, so the process of flexing muscles, threats and showing the consequences of certain actions is in full swing.

The conflict that has been ongoing since 2014 is also affecting the world of sport. For eight years, relations between Russian and Ukrainian athletes in stadiums and halls have often been chilly. Demonstrations began with the 2014 Olympics in Sochi (Russia). She cited the bloody riots in Kiev for which she blamed the pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych as the reason. Yanukovych was soon removed from power and a few years later sentenced by a court for high treason.

Pins, manifestos and sports war

In the following years, sports tensions became apparent many times. The Football Unification Tournament, in which the best Russian and Ukrainian teams played, was abandoned. The Ukrainian footballers were knocked out of their heads by activists and society in the enemy country. Yevhen Selezniov was convinced of this best. Ever since the Ukrainian signed the contract with Kuban Krasnodar, and on the Internet he was described as a traitor. Aleksandr Ziniczenko or Bogdan Butko did not receive any appointments during the game in the Russian Premier League.

At Euro 2020, the Ukrainian manifesto was to manifest itself as a provocation, the Russians also treated them with the slogans “Glory to Ukraine, fame to heroes”, which are used as a military greeting.

UEFA considered the slogans political and ordered their removal. Russia’s demands to also change the contours of the Ukrainian map, she rejected. She argued that the areas with Crimea and the eastern border are generally recognized as Ukrainian.

Antagonisms were also visible at the Paralympics, when the Ukrainian athlete did not want to enter the first step of the podium for a joint photo with two Russians, who took first and third places in the 100-meter T35 race. Igor Tsvetov received praise from his countrymen. Contrary to the Ukrainian high jumper after the Tokyo Olympics. Jarosława Mahuczich, the Olympic bronze medalist, was even summoned by the Ukrainian deputy defense minister. It was about a photo of the player with the Russian Maria Lasickiene. The sportswomen were in national costumes in the photo, hugged each other and smiled from ear to ear. This turned out to be unacceptable for the state authorities.

The hammering of pins began when the Russian public television channel “Rossiya 1”. Perhaps the Russians were afraid of political manifestos. Officially, they explained that they had to broadcast the advertisements. Last year’s game of Ukrainian and Russian volleyball players at the European Championships was fierce, but there were no non-sport games in Gdańsk.

Futsal friendship?

What will it be like during the first meeting of the futsists of both countries in 15 years? The president of the Russian Futsal Association, Emil Aliyev, calms down.

– They are our friends. This is not a fictional story that sport, and in particular, is outside of politics. We have had close relationships with people from the Ukrainian Futsal Association for a long time. In this match, let’s focus on who plays football better, appealed Aliyev, quoted by the Russian media.

It is worth adding that currently three Brazilians are playing in the futsal national team of Russia: Nando, Paulinho and Robinho. He was also fourth, but suffered an injury during Euro. There are no Brazilians in the Ukrainian team, and almost all players play in the national competition on a daily basis. The exception is Vladimir Razuwanov, who comes from the vicinity of Donetsk, who has been playing … in Russian clubs since 2014.

Before Friday’s match, Ukrainians did not expressly comment on their closest rivals. According to team captain Petro Shoturma, the players will “play with the same dedication as against Kazakhstan and will give everything for the country.” The tournament is played in the Netherlands.

Semi-final pairs of the European futsal championship:

• Ukraine – Russia (4.02h 17)
• Portugal – Spain (4.02 hours 20)