In response to claims appearing in certain media about alleged falsification by the Ukrainian Football Association of documents regarding cooperation and settlement of financial obligations with Italian referee Pierluigi Collina, we clarify.

Cooperation with Pierluigi Collina, who currently heads the FIFA Referees Committee, began in August 2012.

Within the framework of fulfilling the terms stipulated by the contract, the Italian specialist carried out a reorganization of the professional football refereeing system and acted as a curator for the committee of professional football referees.

In 2015, cooperation with Mr. Collina was extended for another four years with amendments and additions to the previous contract's terms.

Due to objective economic reasons, a debt arose towards the Italian referee over time, leading to an early termination of cooperation between the parties.

Mr. Collina filed a lawsuit with the court in Nyon (Switzerland) due to this reason and demands for payment of debts from the UFA (fees and severance pay). The dispute between the parties was resolved within the judicial proceedings in Swiss courts.

The settlement of this matter resulted in the UFA fulfilling its financial obligations towards the Italian referee, as evidenced by corresponding payment documents to Mr. Collina's personal account, including from 2017 onwards.

This allowed the parties to reach an amicable settlement that was considered by the Swiss court.

It should be noted that at the time of the early termination of cooperation with Mr. Collina and the emergence of debts from the UFA, there were no criminal proceedings regarding the construction of a factory for artificial football turf in general. Accordingly, claims in certain media about allegedly creating and signing some documents within labor relations with Collina "retroactively" do not correspond to reality. Neither the UFA nor anyone else could fake Swiss court proceedings to "legalize" purported financial transactions. And such an accusation is refuted by a series of documentary evidence.

We emphasize that since the association fulfilled its financial obligations towards Mr. Collina, neither he, who currently heads world football refereeing, nor his lawyers have ever raised any questions, claims, or objections regarding the legality of cooperation documents with him and regarding the legality of payment processes.

The Association initiated the resolution of disputes with Collina even before the start of criminal proceedings, within which precautionary measures were taken by UFA representatives. The association paid off all debts to him, and corresponding payment mandates were provided to the investigation, including to NABU detectives. Throughout the period of pre-trial investigation conducted by detectives in "the factory case," no objections or claims regarding agreements and other financial documents have been raised. And there are no legal grounds for such claims now.