Mute since the start of the conflict, the ex-Ukrainian football legend Anatoliy Tymoshchuk targeted by heavy sanctions

As sanctions against Russia multiply diplomatically, economically and culturally, Ukraine is also taking action. The Ukrainian Football Federation published a long statement on Wednesday March 9 in which it pointed to the attitude of its former international midfielder Anatoliy Tymoshchuk.

The legend of Ukrainian football, holder of the record for national team selections (144 in total between 2000 and 2016), has been very discreet since the start of the invasion of his country by Russia on February 24. Above all, he has not terminated his contract with Zénith Saint-Petersburg, the Russian club where he has held the position of assistant coach for five years.

“Since the beginning of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine, the former captain of the Ukrainian national team, has not only made any public statement in this regard but also has not ceased his cooperation with the club. of the aggressor. By making this conscious choice, Anatoliy Tymoshchuk damages the image of Ukrainian football and violates clause 1.4 Part 1 of Article 4 of the UAF Code of Ethics and Fair Play“, wrote the Ukrainian Federation.

“We are no less afraid of Moscow lice than Ukrainian nits. This is a Ukrainian nit. As they say, with nits like this you don’t need enemies”

Grigory Kozlovsky, president of Lviv Rukh, party to the front

Denisov Time

Faced with the silence of the former Bayern Munich player, several Ukrainian football personalities insulted him, but the reminders did nothing. Atalanta Bergamo midfielder Ruslan Malinovskyi was content to find “bizarre“Tymoshchuk’s attitude. Pensioner Oleksandr Aliyev, for his part, was less tender: “Traitor. Are you Ukrainian? Do you have flags on your cheeks to show you?“.

The Ethics and Fair Play Committee of the Ukrainian Federation proposed on Wednesday to deprive Tymoshchuk of his coaching license at the professional level, all his honorary state distinctions and titles, all his titles (including two national champion) and to exclude him from the official register of national team players. Heavy penalties that have not yet been validated.