By Paul Nicholson
March 7 – The on-off-on international friendly between Ukraine and the US, switched to a Cypriot venue, ended in a morale boosting 2-0 win for the Ukranians. Now the Ukraine FA has announced that its domestic league will restart on March 15.
The league has been on a two-month winter break and was originally scheduled to resume on February 28.
The deposing of ex-President Viktor Yanukovych had lead to fears over safety and the postponement of the restart, even though Europa League games did take place in the country.
Sport and Youth Minister Dmytro Bulatov said: “In as much as the entire country awaits the conduct of matches in the soccer championship, the competition must resume as soon as possible.”
Tavria Simferopol and FC Sevastopol, both located in Russian controlled Crimea, say they intend to continue playing in the Ukrainian league. Tavira are currently 15th and Sevastopol are 11th. Shakhtar Donetsk are currently top with a five point lead over Metalist.
The Ukranian FA has not announced new dates for the two rounds of missed play.
With sport helping the country return to a normality, one fixture in a different sport catches the eye. Ukraine are due to host Russia in Kharkov in Rugby League’s European Championship B on May 24 – the day before the Ukranian elections.
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