Demyanenko: At the request of UEFA, we inform about every fact of systemic pressure on the UAF

First Vice President of the Ukrainian Football Association Anatoly Demyanenko commented on the arrest of the head of the UAF Andrey Pavelko and his imprisonment. He also spoke about UEFA’s reaction to this situation.

“Today, together with my colleagues Alexei Mikhailichenko, Oleg Protasov and Oleg Taran, I was in Lviv. We arrived at the court to support UAF President Andrei Pavelko, who has been illegally held behind bars for three weeks. I want to emphasize that for three weeks already, without any evidence of guilt and without a court verdict, through the abuse of criminal justice, the legally elected representative of the UAF and UEFA has been deprived of liberty, ”said Demyanenko.

“Today, not a single prosecutor arrived at the court in order to artificially create conditions for extending the groundless detention. There is a deliberate opposition to the judiciary and the rule of law. In parallel, what is happening grossly violates the regulations of UEFA, FIFA, which guide each national association and protect their independence.”

“At the request of UEFA, we inform about every fact of already systemic pressure on the UAF. With its letter, the Union of European Football Associations recently informed us that it is closely monitoring the situation and assessing it, taking into account the need to take response measures in order to protect the independence of the Ukrainian football institution. I do not want to assess the possible consequences of such a reaction for our country and football. But I am sure that this custom-made campaign against the leaders of the UAF must be stopped immediately.”

Recall that the Shevchenkovsky District Court of Lviv imprisoned UAF President Pavelko in a pre-trial detention center for a period of 60 days – until August 14 inclusive. Pavelko’s representatives have the right to appeal. A pledge of 9.88 million hryvnia, which was paid for the head of the UAF, was transferred in favor of the state.

Earlier, the Pechersk Court extended the investigation into the case of Pavelko and UAF Secretary General Yury Zapisotsky until November 23, 2023. The court also decided to extend the removal of Pavelko from the post of president of the UAF until July 9, 2023. The UAF has already announced that it will appeal against this decision of the court.

The UAF considers the entire process to be commissioned work from the former leaders of the association. In 2018, the Schemes program conducted an investigation, as a result of which journalists suspected the UAF and its president Andriy Pavelko of corruption through a factory for the production of artificial fields.