June 9 – Just days before the start of the delayed Euro 2020, Russia has sent a formal letter of complaint to UEFA over Ukraine’s alleged “political” kit that has provoked fury in Moscow.
The Ukrainian shirt shows the contours of the country in white, including Crimea and the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, which have been partially seized by pro-Russian separatists.
The map corresponds to the internationally-recognised borders of the country but Russian authorities are fuming over what they claim are deliberately provocative slogans on the shirt that read ‘Glory to Ukraine!’ and ‘Glory to the Heroes’ – popularised during the uprising in 2014 that led to the ousting of Kremlin-backed former president, Viktor Yanukovych.
Russia annexed Crimea the same year, claiming it is their territory even though it is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine. Relations between Moscow and Kiev have deteriorated ever since.
A letter from the Russian football federation says: “We draw attention to the use of political motives on the Ukrainian national team’s jersey, which goes against the basic principles of the UEFA kit regulations.”
Ukraine’s kit has been approved by UEFA even though regulations state items must not “offend common decency or transmit political, religious or racial messages.”
Andriy Pavelko, president of the Football Association of Ukraine, said the design had been agreed with UEFA “long before” the kit’s official presentation.
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