The team of Nikolaev is the winner of the veteran Super Cup of Ukraine
The first of the all-Ukrainian football tournaments held annually by the Association of Football Veterans of Ukraine, the Super Cup of Ukraine in memory of prominent coaches Valery Lobanovsky and Oleg Bazylevych, ended in Vyshneve, Kyiv region. The national team of veterans of the Nikolaev area became the winner of prestigious competition.
In recent years, mass veteran football is on the rise. Veterans' championships, various friendly tournaments take place in almost all oblasts, and the crown of this football pyramid is the competitions held by AVFU - Ukrainian championships in the age categories 35+, 45+ and 55+, Ukrainian Cups 40+ and 50+, as well as New Year's tournament in memory of Viktor Kolotov and Yevhen Rudakov.
For the first time in the history of the veteran Super Bowl, and it has been held annually since 1997, the rules of the competition included the inclusion of teams of players of different age groups, namely:
- 4 football players aged 35+ (born in 1984-1979 inclusive);
- 4 football players aged 40+ (born in 1979-1974 inclusive);
- 4 football players aged 45+ (born in 1974-1969 inclusive);
- 4 football players 50+ years (born in 1969 and older).
All other players who were on the referee's report should be over 50 years old.
This format of the tournament was experimental, but, given the number of participants, it paid off. 14 teams from seven regions of Ukraine applied to participate in the Super Cup. The tournament itself took place in three stages - in April and May, the first and second preliminary rounds took place, in which the six best were determined, and in the final stage the winner and prize-winners became known.
Final table of the Super Cup of Ukraine in memory of V. Lobanovsky and O. Bazylevych
|
|
Team |
G |
W |
D |
L |
GD |
P |
|
1 |
The team of the Nikolaev area |
5 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
4-2 |
10 |
|
2 |
FC "Bila Tserkva" |
5 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
5-0 |
9 |
|
3 |
Azovstal Mariupol |
5 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
4-4 |
8 |
|
4 |
FC Berdyansk |
5 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
0-2 |
6 |
|
5 |
"Piryatin-Poltava region" |
5 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
0-2 |
3 |
|
6 |
"Veteran" Chernihiv region. |
5 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
1-4 |
2 |
Honorary awards and the main cup were presented to the teams by the legends of Ukrainian football - AVFU vice-presidents Andriy Biba and Volodymyr Muntyan, AVFU executive director Vitaliy Kulibabenko. The main prize went to Mykolayiv region, and the best player of the competition was Oleg Muravyov from Azovstal. Muravyov is known to a wide range of fans for his performances in the 80's and 90's in Mariupol's Azovka and Simferopol's Tavriya.
Photo avfu.org.ua
The results of the Super Cup were summed up by AVFU Executive Director Vitaliy Kulibabenko: “In recent years, AVFU has analyzed the possibilities of participation of veterans of different age groups in the joint tournament. The change in the format of the Super Cup was aimed at attracting veterans of all ages to the games, as is done in many European countries. They tried directly, or through regional federations, to convey to the teams the application formula, which is interesting.
As a result, as for the first tournament, I consider 14 participants to be a good indicator. I am sure that in the coming years there will be even more, because the tournament was held at a high competitive level, no questions about the organization from the teams did not arise. I have a special thank you for this to the President of the Veterans Association Oleg Sobutsky, who paid special attention to this tournament. The final stage followed the circuit system, but the intrigue lasted until the last round, which confirmed the density at the top of the standings. The Super Cup became the first AVFU tournament in 2019, next weekend the next stage will take place in Lviv - the final stage of the championship of Ukraine among veterans 55+ years old, dedicated to the memory of Volodymyr Matvienko. "
Photo avfu.org.ua