Recently, Ukrainian Football Association (UAF) President Andriy Shevchenko gave an interview to Swedish media, discussing the daily operations of Ukrainian football amid wartime conditions, his relationship with former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, the challenges of hosting national team matches abroad, and the upcoming World Cup playoff against Sweden.
On the UAF’s daily work during the war:
“Sometimes people don’t sleep all night. First, we need to find out where bombings occurred, who lives there, and what the situation is like. During preparations for one of our matches, a player’s house was bombed—but thank God, everyone survived. These are the kinds of things we deal with every day.”
Regarding the UK government’s demand that former Chelsea owner Abramovich use proceeds from the club’s sale to aid Ukraine:
“I no longer have any relationship with Abramovich. I saw it in the newspapers but haven’t followed it closely. It’s a matter between him and the government—but of course, he should pay.”
On the financial strain of hosting “home” matches overseas due to security concerns:
“We spend a lot of money on these matches yet can’t fill the stadiums. Hosting a ‘home’ game abroad costs roughly five times more. We must do everything we can with our own budget and rely on private donations to fund our social programs.”
On the upcoming World Cup playoff against Sweden:
“When we drew Sweden, we likely got the toughest possible opponent. I have great respect for Swedish football—they’ve always had a strong national team and excellent players. Regardless of their World Cup qualifying results, facing this Nordic side is always difficult. They possess outstanding quality, strong character, and a powerful sense of identity—traits that, in many ways, resemble our own. Beating each other will require immense effort; it will be a hard-fought battle.”
On the outlook for the match:
“It’s 50-50. I don’t think there’s a favorite. In the end, it always comes down to details—fitness, injuries, and preparation.”
wobabcdnyz
37
why would someone pay for something they didn't create.
Tebbceopst
32
Why should Roman Abramovich pay? His money belongs to him. English govt was just using an excuse to freeze his money. He or his country, Russia, did nothing wrong.
Jaheem100
22
Still don’t see why Ibrahimovic should pay for Ukraine, despite being Russian. What a stupid thing to say
Wahceilmr
16
you have no sense