UPL club representatives meet with UAF Referees Committee head Kateryna Monzul

30.01.2025 12:00

A joint meeting between the leadership of the Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF), the UAF Referees Committee, and representatives of Ukrainian Premier League (UPL) clubs took place at the House of Football. The discussion covered the principles and specifics of the committee’s work, the operation of the VAR system in UPL matches, and communication between UPL clubs and the committee.

Photo by Dan Balashov

The longest and most detailed part of the meeting was the discussion between UPL club representatives and the head of the UAF Referees Committee, Kateryna Monzul. She presented statistics on refereeing and VAR usage in UPL matches, answered numerous questions, and received several proposals from club representatives.

Photo by Dan Balashov

The dialogue, which included active participation from UPL President Yevhen Dykyi and UAF General Secretary Igor Gryshchenko, was productive and rich in information, providing valuable insights for further improving refereeing quality and the technical operation of the VAR system.

Photo by Dan Balashov

Additionally, UPL club representatives listened to presentations by Andriy Davydenko, head of the UAF Ethics and Fair Play Committee, and Oleksandr Volkov, head of the UAF Dispute Resolution Chamber.

Photo by Dan Balashov

After the meeting, participants shared their impressions with the UAF press service.

Andriy Rusol (Director of FC Karpaty): "The overall impression is positive. The main takeaway is that there is a dialogue, a discussion between clubs and the Referees' Committee. This is how it should be. The fact that this dialogue exists is very encouraging.

Personally, I feel there are changes happening. Officiating is improving. I can see it with my own eyes, and the statistics confirm what is happening in our football."

Volodymyr Bayenko (General Director of FC Kryvbas): "There were many interesting discussions and ideas. We covered almost everything, but some questions still need further work. The most important thing is that we are communicating, and we are being heard. Many of the things we suggested are being implemented. We need to maintain this pace and dialogue, keep moving forward, and develop Ukrainian football.

I honestly don’t remember such meetings with the Referees’ Committee before. They presented statistics — we see improvements. This is due to both the referees’ work and the increased number of VAR systems used in matches. We are moving in the right direction."

Volodymyr Zahurskyi (General Director of FC Polissya): "Any meeting where issues are openly discussed, and there is a willingness to receive responses from the other side, is productive. Some issues get resolved, while others take on new meanings. Our position is that the UAF Referees Committee should be as transparent and media-friendly as possible.

It is clear that the Ethics and Fair Play Committee is one of the key bodies ensuring fair results on the football field. The implementation of measures such as polygraph tests, notifications of violations during or after matches, and appropriate sanctions against responsible individuals serve as a warning to others that such actions are unacceptable."

Igor Gryshchenko (UAF General Secretary): "First of all, I want to thank the clubs for taking the time to participate in the UAF and UPL working meeting. We hope that this event will become a tradition and be held annually. This time, we discussed organizational matters regarding UAF and UPL cooperation, including refereeing, club licensing, and football justice bodies. It was a constructive discussion.

The UAF Referees Committee and the Ethics and Fair Play Committee presented internal statistics on their activities and summarized their first year of work in the new format. We received feedback and suggestions from clubs. This type of communication demonstrates the openness and transparency of UAF’s operations, which has been declared as one of our key principles.

Once again, we want to express our gratitude to every club, their management, and owners for continuing to fund and support these clubs during the full-scale invasion. We, in turn, are fully committed to facilitating their activities and ensuring equal conditions for all UPL clubs."