Meetings of the Parimatch expert club resumed in Kyiv

16.06.2020 22:28

Photo of UAF press service

Parimatch gathered an expert club, where specialists, journalists and coaches of the national teams of Ukraine discussed important issues of resumption of football competitions.

Today in Kyiv's PM Hall the Ukrainian Association of Football and the official partner of the national team of Ukraine Parimatch held the first meeting of the expert club this year. Popular football experts and officials raised the most actual topic of recent days - the restoration of football after the quarantine measures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The meeting was held in compliance with the current quarantine restrictions - no more than four film crews (including a journalist and a cameraman) could be present from the media at the event. The rest of the media actively participated in the meeting via online conference. The event was moderated by the press attaché of the national team of Ukraine Oleksandr Hlyvynsky.

It was noticeable that the members of the expert club were happy to come to the meeting. After all, some have not even seen each other since the announcement of quarantine. Serhii Nagornyak, the coach of Ukraine U-16, and Serhii Kryvtsov, a Shakhtar player, discussed the latest news before the meeting. The coach of the national team Oleksandr Shovkovskyi was in a good mood ...

Parimatch spokesman Vadym Misyura greeted the guests: “Our brand pays great attention to the development of sports, regardless of any circumstances. Today our key task is to support our clubs, our sports product. We have all felt the effects of quarantine, including journalists who have been left without sporting events. However, even at a distance, our hearts are united by a love of football".

Photo of UAF press service

UAF Vice President and General Secretary Yurii Zapisotskyi said that football is gradually coming out of quarantine, as evidenced by the resumption of competitions in the UPL and the restart of the First league in the near future. He also noted that the health of people is still in the first place: “We are working to ensure a medical protocol so that both championships are held in compliance with it. The incident with Karpaty took place, measures are being taken. We hope that such cases will not happen again in the future".

Yurii Zapisotskyi also reminded that the UEFA Executive Committee meeting, which will take place on Wednesday, June 17, with the participation of UAF President Andrii Pavelko, a member of the UEFA Executive Committee, will clarify the situation with the end of the European Cup season and the return of national teams' football. In particular, there will be information about the upcoming matches of the national team of Ukraine in the Nations League.

Andriy Shevchenko's assistant in the main team of the country, Oleksandr Shovkovskyi, said that he attended the Shakhtar-Dynamo match. The former goalkeeper shared his opinion about the playing form of the national teams and the resumption of the championship: “We are glad that the quarantine has been eased and the championship continued. I believe that the location of teams in the standings should be determined by the sporting principle. The players of the national team of Ukraine are very professional in their work. As a result - the success in the Nations League and Euro 2020 qualifying".

Serhii Kryvtsov, a defender of the blue-yellows and Shakhtar Donetsk, spoke about the process of adaptation to the games: “During the quarantine, everyone practiced at home according to a separate program. After easing, we began to work in small groups, and then in a general group. There were no physical problems". The footballer also stated that it is not necessary to run ahead with a possible Shakhtar title.

The head coach of Ukraine U-16 Serhii Nagornyak touched upon the issues of preparation and plans of the youth national teams: “Everything was canceled by September, and it is not possible to watch the players due to the lack of competitions. We are waiting for decisions on youth football and the calendar of matches. We do not rule out that our team will gather just before the qualifying matches for Euro-2021".

A separate topic of discussion was the growing popularity of cyber football during the quarantine and the creation of the Ukrainian Electronic Football Association at the initiative of the UAF.

"Our project team has coped with the tasks: to create a national team, to qualify for the eEuro 2020, which was announced by UEFA. Quarantine has suspended sports events, while interest in eFootball has only grown. Now the issue of professionalism in eSports has reached a new level", - said the president of the eFootball association Vladyslav Shovkovskyi.