Officially. UAF considers season 2019/2020 to be finished

- From the first days, when the threat of a pandemic became obvious, we have been in close contact with UEFA and FIFA, - said Oleg Valerievich. - As you know, UEFA has already held two video conferences with the participation of UAF leaders and other national associations. We promptly inform the Ukrainian football family on our official website about the decisions made by the UEFA Executive Committee after discussions at these meetings online. After that, the relevant orders are sent to committees and regional associations. In addition, I and other leaders of the UAF and its units are constantly, in fact - around the clock, in touch and ready to answer possible questions.

But unfortunately, it is impossible to talk about specific dates when football fully recovers and the spectators return on the stands. This is due to the inability to predict the pandemic situation.

Yes, UEFA originally planned to finish the season by the end of June. Now, as you know, these deadlines have been postponed to August. But no one can say that this is the final decision. Therefore, we will continue to follow the recommendations of UEFA and FIFA. We have no other way.

In particular, from the very beginning, UEFA recommended that, if possible, until the introduction of quarantine in the country by public authorities, continue to hold matches of national tournaments and European Cups. At the same time, restrictions were imposed, and the matches were held without spectators. Not only national championship games, but also European Cup matches.

In particular, we had the matches of the 23rd round of the UPL and one of the matches of the quarterfinals of the Cup of Ukraine. There was no reason to cancel these matches in the UAF and UPL! I find it strange to hear and read accusations against the UAF in this regard. Until the introduction of quarantine by government agencies throughout the country or in certain regions, we had no reason to suspend football competitions.

After all, we are not considering the option of early suspension of the championship. We have confidence that at this stage, taking into account the decisions of UEFA, the season will be extended until August, and therefore, it is possible to finish the championship and play decisive matches of Ukrainian Cup. Of course, teams will need time to prepare for the championship. How much time it will take before the restart, we will definitely agree with the representatives of the clubs. 

I repeat, at this stage, other options, except for a full-fledged warm-up of the championship, UAF are not considered. Therefore, I ask professionals, coaches, club owners not to speculate on this topic! Option "B" in the UAF currently does not exist, and the opinion of the leadership is unanimous - the championship needs to be completed.

There is no need to think of any other options. We look forward on the way things develop and hope that the situation COVID-19 virus spread will stabilize, although UEFA calls a period of complete uncertainty.

Recently, FIFA has set up a working group consisting of representatives from its administration, as officials of all confederations. This group, in particular, is developing recommendations for changing the dates of FIFA tournaments.

In addition, a working group on transfers has been set up under the auspices of FIFA, which includes representatives of key stakeholders - confederations, associations, leagues, clubs and players. The task of this group is to issue appropriate instructions and recommendations as soon as possible. In addition, each national association must appoint a coordinator to work with the Global Football Support Fund, which will be established by FIFA. As soon as there are concrete solutions to these issues, we will immediately inform the football community about them.

The same position applies to the relevant UEFA decisions. So far, we can only say that, as we have already reported, the dates related to all UEFA club competitions of the 2020/2021 season are being postponed to further announcements. In particular, this applies to the transfer and registration of players, the new dates for which will be determined by UEFA.

I would also like to remind you that the UEFA Executive Committee has reaffirmed its full support for club licensing and the financial Fair Play and has agreed that the current exceptional circumstances require certain adjustments to facilitate the work of associations and clubs. UEFA has also given UAF and other national associations more time to complete the club licensing process until the procedure for their entry into club competitions under the auspices of UEFA next season is determined.

Another important decision, which we have reported, but which should be noted again - due to the complete uncertainty resulting from the current emergency, UEFA Executive Committee has decided to suspend the licensing rules for clubs regarding the preparation and evaluation of their clubs' financial activities.

The corresponding decisions are being prepared for consideration by UAF Executive Committee, which should be taken soon.

Once again, I urge all members of the football community in this difficult period for all of us to be balanced in their actions and comments. I can assure you that the Ukrainian Football Association is doing everything possible for us to return to a full-fledged football life with the least losses. I really want this to happen as soon as possible.

Keep calm, optimistic - and be healthy!