Oleg Sobutsky: "The year in the national team starts traditionally - with a visit to Tbilisi ..."

Зthe national team of Ukraine among veterans worthily represents the country on the international arena. Outstanding players of the past have visited almost 20 countries in the last three years, and recently returned from Georgia, where they took part in the representative tournament "Cup of Legends".

Photo of the press service of AFVU

The organizer and inspirer, FFU Vice-President, AVFU President Oleh Sobutskyi, told more about the mission of the blue-yellow Dream Team.

- The year for the veterans' team begins traditionally - with a visit to Tbilisi, - Oleg Mikhailovich shares his fresh impressions. - Georgia highly respects the memory of a famous football official, one of the organizers of the 2012 UEFA European Championship, David Petriashvili. Since 2017, an international tournament among famous players of the past has been held in his honor. Every year the level of competitions grows, more and more spectators take their seats in the stands, the decisive matches are broadcast live on central television.

The national teams of Georgia, Ukraine, Spain, Turkey and UEFA are traditional participants, the sixth this year was the FIFA team led by world champion Marco Materazzi. In some exhibition competitions, the sports component is not the main one. Here we have to pay tribute to the friendly Football Federation of Georgia and its President Levan Kobiashvili for the combination of spectacle and high competitive level. All matches were decisive, in the semifinals the strongest were determined in a series of penalties, and in the final Turkey defeated Spain with an advantage of one goal. At almost all the games, the palace of sports was completely filled, playing in such an atmosphere was a real pleasure.

Photo of the press service of AFVU

- The national team of Ukraine held group stage matches in one go (victory over Spain - 5: 0 and UEFA - 6: 0), but, as last year, finished in the semifinals

- The match against Turkey was very interesting. Losing - 0: 2, we managed to change the course of events and equalize the score. And a series of penalties… Here I take all the responsibility. When all the guys did their shots, it was my turn. The team's trust could not be justified. In the locker room, I apologized to everyone and promised to get better. It is very unfortunate that, having such an advantage at the group stage and good feedback from experts, we did not manage to get such a coveted trophy.

I want to pay tribute to the coaches and players of the national team of Ukraine. They approached the tournament very carefully, even during the New Year holidays, not forgetting about proper preparation. I will not single out anyone, all the guys are good, they were in their youth, and now remain true professionals. Everyone - from the head of the composition Vasyl Rat to the youngest Vitaliy Mandzyuk. For me, the Ukrainian team, despite the result, is the best, and it will be possible to prove it next year. By the way, I will note the support of the audience. Apart from the home team, among other national teams, the sympathies were on the side of the Ukrainians. This best emphasizes the friendly relations between the two countries, which have faced similar challenges in recent years.

- Probably, the experience of the Georgian Football Federation in organizing such a large-scale tournament can also be useful?

- Of course, Georgians are doing a great job. As a functionary, David Petriashvili left a big mark, he was known and respected by the whole football Europe. After the tournament, one of the main winemakers of Georgia Zurab Chkhaidze invited the national team of Ukraine to his plant in Kakheti, where he spoke at length about his friend David, his role in organizing and holding Euro-2012. According to the first vice-president of the FFG Kakha Chumburidze, the tournament in memory of Petriashvili will become traditional, and next year it may take place in the recently built sports palace in Batumi. The organizers have other interesting ideas, but let them tell about them themselves.

- Such tournaments, in addition to the sports component, are an excellent platform for exchanging views between experts, establishing contacts. Were you able to communicate with colleagues?

- We had a lot of informal meetings where we discussed issues of cooperation. I am primarily interested in the development of veteran football. We are constantly in touch with our colleague from Spain Fernando Giner, I am very impressed by the veteran movement in the Pyrenees, the mass and level of their championships.

The national team of veterans of Ukraine has already played matches against Valencia, Sevilla, Betis, Villarreal, and now we are planning new trips, while inviting the Spaniards to us. There is an idea to organize a match between the national teams of veterans of Ukraine and Spain. Not to mention relations with Georgia, our annual meetings have already become a good tradition - at the NSC "Olympic", "Arena Lviv". Received confirmation of the next match in May or June this year. Also on March 21, on the eve of the first national team game, we are planning a friendly match against Portugal in Lisbon.

There are other plans. In 2019, the veterans' team will have a tight schedule of games. Abroad, we support the diaspora and try to represent Ukraine at its best. And the purpose of the all-Ukrainian tour has been unchanged since the founding of the national team - we are for peace, unity, harmony of our people. We emphasize everywhere that the war is going on in Ukraine, and our defenders need support very much. As it warms up, we will go to the East ourselves, where we play at least 10-15 matches a year on average.

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