Andriy Yarmolenko, the Ukraine captain, has called for Russia to be “completely isolated” from all professional sport amid news that the country will be banned from qualifying for Euro 2024.
Russia has been banned from Uefa and Fifa competitions since the invasion of Ukraine began in February. Organizers will not involve Russia in the Euro 2024 qualifying draw scheduled for October 9. Yarmolenko, speaking ahead of Ukraine’s Nations League meeting with Scotland in Glasgow on Wednesday, supported Uefa’s stance and urged other sports to follow suit.
“My thoughts are very simple,” said the former West Ham player. “Russian football, Russian sport should be completely isolated. This is a country of terrorists, a country that kills Ukrainians, that kills Ukrainian children. We can’t just talk about sports when something like this happens. All Ukrainian players want Russia to be isolated at all levels.
“We cannot allow Russia to compete while its army is killing civilians in Ukraine. The standings of the Ukrainian team are unified; Russia should be banned from everything.”
Ukraine head coach Oleksandr Petrakov has admitted he was fined by European Football Association after expressing a desire to take up arms against Russia. Petrakov said he was unaware of the amount of the fine and seemed perfectly at ease with the situation.
When asked about the Russian Football Union’s desire to ban him, Petrakov was similarly calm: “I’ll repeat what I said before,” said the 65-year-old coach. “This is clearly the Russian Football Union and its legal team. What they do is their business. I stand by my words.”
When Ukraine visited Scotland in June, Petrakov’s team reached a World Cup play-off final, which they lost to Wales. Scotland manager Steve Clarke has now admitted that the circumstances surrounding the delayed game made life difficult for his players. Ukraine has understandably been the recipient of global support.
“The last game was a really unique situation where nobody knew what to expect,” Clarke said. “Everyone says how good Ukraine is, they are a really good team. I don’t think they caught us off guard, but it was a unique game. It was a game that didn’t suit us, it suited them. We didn’t play as well as we can play. The only thing we can do about it is play better this time. And if we play better this time and Ukraine play at their level, then let’s see how the result is.”
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