Ukrainian soccer players unfurled an anti-Putin banner after the Champions League match

Ukrainian soccer players Pavlo Isenko and Oleksandr Romanchuk of the Romanian club “Universitatea” took the field after the Champions League qualifying match against the Belarusian club “ML” Vitebsk, took the field with an anti-Putin banner reading “Fck Ptn.” In addition, the Romanian team’s players refused to shake hands with the Belarusian players before the match and ignored the customary greeting with their opponents after taking the field and posing for photos.

Fans of the Craiova team showed their support for the Ukrainians by displaying a Ukrainian flag in the stands with a call to stop the war, as well as T-shirts bearing Romanchuk’s last name. Oleksandr Romanchuk himself initiated the handshake boycott during the first match, which ended in a 4-1 victory for the Romanian club. At that time, his initiative was supported by Georgian Anzor Mekvabishvili and Portuguese Samuel Teles.

According to UEFA regulations, deliberately refusing to exchange official greetings is considered unsportsmanlike conduct. For such violations, the organization may impose sanctions, including financial fines, player suspensions, or requiring subsequent matches to be played behind closed doors.

Source: Zorya Londonsk

Nine European Union member states have appealed to the European Commission to review funding for the International Olympic Committee and sports organizations that allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international tournaments.

The European Commission is concerned about the IOC’s decision to reinstate Russian athletes.

Earlier, the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine called the IOC’s decision to allow Russians to compete “shameful.”

Estonia, together with its partner countries, plans to appeal to the European Commission to review funding for sports organizations that support the return of Russia and Belarus to international competitions.