UAF thanks Luis Cortes for his cooperation. The Women's Football Committee of the Association proposed a new candidate for the position of coach of the national women's team of Ukraine

09.08.2023 15:17

Photo of UAF press service

The head coach of the women's national team of Ukraine, the Spaniard Luis Cortes, sent a letter to the UAF in which he expressed his desire to end his work with the team after the end of the contract. 

"The time has come to announce that on August 31, 2023, I have decided to terminate my contract with the Ukrainian Football Association and finish my work as the head coach of the women's national team of Ukraine. In November 2021, I accepted the invitation of the UAF to become the coach of the national team and tried to build an ambitious team.

But three months later, on February 24, 2022, Russia attacked Ukraine. However, I tried to do my best and learned a lot from people who decided not to give up. From players who, despite the terrible situation in their country, found in football a way to fight for their people and show the world that Ukraine is still alive.

I am grateful to the technical staff of the team, who have become my family. Thank you all for the high-quality attitude towards the matter, the desire to work during all this time.

I want to thank the president of UAF and the executive committee for entrusting me to lead this project. I also thank all the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who did everything to enable us to work. Thanks to all the fans who have supported us during this time. I left with the pain that I could not play home matches in Ukraine, but I am convinced that soon there will be an opportunity in the country for spectators to visit the stadiums and support, in particular, the women's national team. And I will be there with my soul.

First of all, we want the situation in Ukraine to improve and be resolved as soon as possible for the benefit of the Ukrainian people!" — in particular, it says in the letter of Luis Cortes to the UAF. 

The Ukrainian Football Association expresses its sincere thanks to Luis Cortes for his fruitful work at the head of the national women's team of Ukraine. He also thanks the Spanish specialist for organizing the humanitarian aid that our football family received since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation, and for supporting Ukraine on the international stage in general. We wish Luis success in his further coaching career!

It will be recalled that under the leadership of Luis Cortes, the national women's team of Ukraine took third place in the group of the 2023 World Cup qualifying tournament, ahead of Hungary and the Faroe Islands and ahead of Scotland and Spain.

Today, August 9, a meeting of the UAF Women's Football Committee was held using electronic means of communication. According to the results of the meeting, the committee recommended to the UAF Executive Committee to approve Volodymyr Pyatenko as the head coach of the national women's team of Ukraine.

Biographical help

Volodymyr Pyatenko

He was born September 9, 1974.

As a player played for Ukrainian clubs: "Ocean" (Kerch), "Tavria" (Simferopol), "Shakhtar" (Donetsk), "Metalist" (Kharkiv), "Metalurg" (Donetsk), "Vorskla" (Poltava), "Niva" (Vinnitsa).

As part of the youth national team of Ukraine, he played 8 matches (2 goals).

As a mentor headed Ukrainian clubs: "Metalurg" (Donetsk), "Obolon-Brovar" (Kyiv).

Work with women's teams: "Dynamo" (Kyiv) — 2021-2023, "Zhytlobud-1" (Kharkiv) — from July 2023.