Andriy Shevchenko: "My plan is to support Ukraine on all fronts"

15.06.2024 14:00

The English publication The Guardian published an extensive interview with the President of the Ukrainian Association of Football, Andriy Shevchenko.

To meet with the UAF president and conduct the interview, The Guardian journalist Nick Ames traveled a considerable distance and personally visited Ukraine.

In the interview, Andriy Shevchenko first spoke about his motivations for running for the position of UAF president, The Guardian reports.

"I want to help my country, I want to be in the UAF, and that is why I agreed to participate in the elections. This is my plan — to support Ukraine on all fronts. We have many friends and partners, and we must maintain high standards in our relationships every day.

The main goal when I started this new job was to qualify for EURO 2024 and ensure that the team's logistics were in order. However, other issues arose that needed to be addressed: organizing matches in the Ukrainian championship, improving the financial situation in the UAF, the fact that many talented young players left the country due to the Russian invasion, and the need to stay connected with them. This is one of our biggest future challenges because we want these talents to play for our national team," said the UAF president.

Additionally, Andriy Shevchenko spoke about his collaboration with his former teammate and current head coach of the Ukrainian national team, Serhiy Rebrov.

"Our views on football are very similar. We had football talent, but in terms of education, hard work, focus, and discipline, that was something we developed. What I always appreciate about Serhiy is his professionalism. His dedication to the job is simply incredible.

When we met on the pitch, we almost immediately learned to understand what the other’s next move would be. Playing with Rebrov was very easy, but we continued to work on even greater mutual understanding," emphasized Andriy Shevchenko.

Finally, the UAF president stressed that in the challenging times Ukraine is going through, football will also help in the path to victory over the aggressor.

"For us, everything started in 2014. Since then, there has been no chance to stop the fighting. The reaction of the whole world was very slow, but our partners opened their eyes two years ago and have continued to support us. We are now at a very difficult moment. Sirens are heard in cities and villages every day, it is tough on the front lines, and people are tired. But our people are strong and will keep fighting.

The participation of Ukrainian players in the European Championship in Germany will be a message reminding the world that we are still fighting on all fronts. Football is a very powerful tool, and we must use it correctly," concluded Andriy Shevchenko.