UAF Ethics and Fair Play Committee Chairman Francesco Barbaro spoke about how the Russian military invasion in February caught him in Kyiv, his volunteer work helping Ukraine during the first months of the full-scale war, and explained why restoring football competitions is a thorn in Russia's side and an important step for Ukrainians towards victory.

The UAF Ethics and Fair Play Committee is making serious efforts to prevent Russian betting companies from offering bets on international football matches, while the Italian expert himself insists on the need to completely block the activities of Russian companies that continue to generate billions in profits and help the aggressor state wage war against Ukraine.

— Francesco, you have been working for over five years in Ukraine as Chairman of the UAF Ethics and Fair Play Committee. What results has your team achieved during this period?

— If we look at the numbers, I can say that we have practically solved the problem. When I started, there were over 100 suspicious matches, and last year their number decreased to just seven. So for us, this is a great achievement.

In addition, we developed a system called «Iron Dome», designed to protect football from fixed matches. We are the only country with such a system. UEFA and all other football associations want to use it for their competitions. This system finds suspicious matches, sends notifications about them to providers, who can then review them and suspend betting on them. The existence of such a system opens up wide possibilities, and we could, for example, make money from selling data.

Of course, we still have problems, especially those related to any form of corruption. This year will be a big challenge because during wars and extraordinary situations the level of corruption increases, and I am sure there will be new attempts to organize fixed matches. I am convinced that Russia will try to influence Ukrainian football. At our last meeting with UAF President Andriy Pavelko on this topic, he declared zero tolerance for fixed matches. Because now the whole world is watching Ukraine. We started a special championship during wartime. And we do not want anyone to attempt improper actions again.

— What were your first months of full-scale war like? Did professional activities take second place, giving way to volunteering?

— When the full-scale war began, I tried to stay calm. But honestly, I have never felt such fear as then. I spent three days at the Italian Embassy in Kyiv. There were many people there, and they were all very scared. Then I had a long trip to Spain. But I was lucky enough to get to a safe place, unlike Ukrainians who stayed in their country, took up arms, and have been fighting for half a year for their freedom.

Then I organized humanitarian cargo shipments from Spain to Ukraine with the head coach of the Ukrainian women's national team Luis Cortes. Also at that time, I found new teams for young players who were leaving Ukraine for Europe due to the war. I contacted clubs and academies in Sweden, Italy, Spain, and other countries. I have good contacts with Cadena Ser, one of the most influential radio stations in Spain. Last week they did an interview with one of our boys playing for «Rayo Majadahonda», which plays in the RFEF Primera Division. We found this club for him.

I also emphasized and continue to emphasize that Russia must be blocked from all betting industry. It is important that Russia cannot spend money it receives from this sector. I have already given many interviews to the media to highlight this issue as widely as possible.

— When did the committee resume work, and what was achieved in the last six months?

— We continued our activities, including regarding the Timoshchuk case. As is known, he had all his titles stripped from him in Ukraine and was banned for life from Ukrainian football.

As soon as the new season started, we organized courses for clubs. We went to «Chornomorets» with the first lecture. And we plan to complete training sessions with all other professional teams throughout the season. We visit UPL teams and explain what can and cannot be done regarding betting and what responsibilities will have to be borne in case of improper actions.

One of our obligations is also the problem of Russian bets. We pursue sponsorship by Russian bookmakers of foreign competitions, including Italy's Serie A. Our goal is to prevent any betting from Russia on Ukrainian football matches. You cannot imagine how disgusting it is when an aggressor state earns money on bets placed on Ukrainian teams!

Russia can still place bets on all football competitions. It's about billions of euros. The betting industry remains outside the sanctions imposed on Russia. This cannot be. Just last week, Kharkiv was shelled again, where people continue to die from Russian rockets. And at the same time, Russian bookmakers offered to bet on a match involving «Vorskla-Kharkiv-2» in the women's Champions League. This is absolutely disgusting!

— What exactly is the problem for Ukraine with Russian betting companies? And what should be done about it?

— There are two problems. The first one is that Russian bookmakers sponsor sports competitions all over Europe. For example, the advertisement of the «Liga Stavok» betting company during Italian Serie A matches or 1XBet on Spanish La Liga games, whose license is not Russian but the company itself is pro-Russian. 

Most sports organizations and leagues have condemned Russia's military invasion of Ukraine, but there are still those who continue to cooperate with the aggressor country.

We received many complaints from people watching Serie A matches on MEGOGO and being forced to see an advertisement banner for Russian «Liga Stavok». These occurrences take place in at least three countries where the championship is broadcast — Ukraine, Poland, and Spain.

We have already addressed Serie A three times. The first time was in March, and we did not receive any response. The second time it happened three weeks ago, and they responded that this issue would be resolved. However, the advertisement banner remained during broadcasts. In a recent letter we received recently, they informed us about an existing contract and said they could do nothing about it. I am very disappointed because it seems that money is stronger than dignity. It's shocking that Russia, which in the 21st century invades Ukraine militarily, calmly advertises its companies in Europe.

The second problem — competitions and matches offered for betting by Russian bookmakers. Most providers stopped their activities in Russia with the start of the war. But there is a company called Sportradar — a major player in sports data market and also a provider to UEFA. This provider still operates in Russia and offers a wide range of matches on which one can place bets: Champions League, English Premier League, Italian Serie A, etc. The owner of Sportradar holds 25% shares of «Liga Stavok». In the spring, during the height of Russian aggression against Ukraine, there was a loud international media scandal over this issue.

Last week, the Ukrainian championship started, and for example, we can take the match in the second round of UPL «Oleksandria» — «Mynai». Russian bookmakers received game data from Sportradar and offered users to place bets on this match. Can you understand the level of cynicism when Russia has been waging war in Ukraine for half a year, and its companies are earning money on betting on Ukrainian football?

We sent a letter to UEFA explaining the situation and pointing out that their partner company Sportradar should stop providing data from Ukrainian competitions for Russian bookmakers.

Yesterday, we also sent a request to FeedConstruct, which is an Ukrainian provider, asking them to cease transmitting data to Sportradar. 

— The new championship has started, and this is the first time Ukraine holds football competitions during wartime. How do you view this decision?

— This is a great challenge from a security perspective. But I believe that conducting normal life during war — this is a loud thorn in Russia's side. When you can live normally during such a difficult period, it is incredible. You show the whole world that Ukrainians, thanks to heroes who defend their country, can return to normal life and demonstrate resilience in any situation. Yes, this is a huge risk, but it is calculated.

I approve of the decision by UAF President to start the championship because this is a big step towards normal life. During war, football can change things. Sport can give people 90 minutes not to think about war. In Spain, I saw children from Ukraine who were fleeing the war and heading for their first training at an academy that became their temporary shelter. They did not know the language, they knew nothing. In the eyes of those children, I saw fear and sadness, but as soon as they started playing football, they forgot all worries. Football is a medicine against war and the negativity it generates.