Ukraine threatened to be banned by football governing body FIFA

Ukrainian Football Association (UAF) was warned by FIFA and UEFA on Monday that they could face an international suspension. A meeting was organised to replace the current UAF President Andriy Pavelko with 46-year-old Andriy Shevchenko, regarded as the greatest-ever player of football. Pavelko is known to have scored 48 goals in 111 international games and has played for AC Milan and Chelsea among other prestigious matches.

On December 19, UAF Vice-President Oleg Protasov said in a Facebook post that FIFA has made a threat of suspending Ukraine from football if the country did not comply with the suggested changes. After FIFA's threats of suspension, Ukraine now plans to summon an Extraordinary Committee meeting to discuss the replacement of Pavelko. The latter has been accused of allegedly misusing international aid funds and other corrupt practices. "Today I received new information, it turns out that the Ministry of Justice will be involved before the authorities fully intervene in football affairs,"  UAF Vice-President Oleg Protasov said on Facebook.

"FIFA and UEFA, in a letter addressed to the vice-presidents of the UAF, remind that the Ukrainian Association should manage its affairs without the influence of third parties. Any violation of this obligation may lead to the suspension of the membership of the UAF in FIFA and UEFA in accordance with Art. 16 of the FIFA Statute and Art. 9 of the UEFA Statute," Protasov furthermore added.

The Ukrainian official noted, that previously all the members of the [UFA] Executive Committee were sent an action plan regarding the convening and holding of a virtual Executive Committee regarding distrust and removal of the leadership of the Ukrainian Association. He continued, "and before that, six heads of regional football associations wrote protocols on convening the UAF Congress in the offices of heads of regional military administrations and under the watchful eye of the SBU."

Ukraine President's message for FIFA released

The Foreign Ministry of Ukraine earlier yesterday also released the video of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that FIFA refused to play during the finals match. In the video, Ukraine's embattled leader announced a Global Peace Formula Summit, an initiative to "unite all nations of the world" and called for the world to continue supporting Ukraine against the invasion by Russia and fight for peace.

"I congratulate the whole planet on the World Cup final," Zelenskyy said in the recording that he had requested to be played during the FIFA football World Cup. "Today we'll witness a common victory - the celebration of the human spirit. This World Cup proved time and again that different countries and nationalities can decide who is the strongest in fair play, but not in playing with fire," he furthermore noted. "On the green playing field and not on the red battlefield. This is the dream of so many people," said Zelenskyy. 

"When players compete making everybody enjoy peace. Every father would like to take his son to a football match, all over the world, and every mother would like her son to be back from war. Whenever it is, Ukraine strives for peace more than anything else," the President of war-torn Ukraine, furthermore stressed. FIFA turned down the request by Zelenskyy to show the video during the final as the organization noted that political gestures are banned at the tournament. It had also banned the OneLove LGBTQ+ rights armband saying it was a breach of the rule.