Cancellation of the friendly match of 'Veres'
The Rivne football club 'Veres' has canceled the friendly match against the Turkmen club 'Arkadag' due to its participation in sparring matches with Russian teams. According to information, the match was to take place in Turkey.
The club 'Arkadag', founded in 2023, played two matches in February 2024 in the United Arab Emirates against Russian teams. In these sparring matches, 'Arkadag' played against ' Pari PN' and 'Zenit', finishing the matches with scores of 2:1 and 1:1 respectively. This raised concerns in 'Veres', which became the reason for the cancellation of the planned match.
Position of Ukrainian clubs
The cancellation of the match 'Veres' with 'Arkadag' underscores the position of Ukrainian clubs regarding cooperation with teams that have ties to Russian football.
This event reflects the growing sensitivity of Ukrainian sports organizations to cooperation with teams that may have connections to Russia, especially in the context of the ongoing conflict between the countries. Refusing matches with such clubs may indicate 'Veres's' intention to uphold patriotic values and avoid legitimizing Russian football in an international context.
It is worth noting that Ukraine is currently actively preparing for the World Cup qualifiers. The Ukrainian national team has completed the first stage of the European qualifiers and in the last match secured a victory over Iceland with a score of 2:0. Goals in this match were scored by Zubkov in the 83rd minute and Hutsulyak in the 90+3rd minute. The World Cup playoff semi-final is scheduled for March 26, 2026, where Ukraine will meet the national team of Sweden.