Wednesday 2 October 2013

FIFA sanctions for Ukraine

Ukraine national football team won in San Marino national football team with great result 9:0 in the match of the qualification round for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil in “Arena-Lviv” stadium on 6 September 2013. 34,100 spectators in “Arena-Lviv” and thousands Ukrainian fans at their homes watched that football match and celebrated the victory of Ukrainian national football team. On 11 September 2013 the FIFA Disciplinary Committee announced its report about some breaches of the FIFA Disciplinary Code on “Arena-Lviv” during Ukraine-San Marino match and on 27 September 2013 the FIFA Disciplinary Committee named its sanctions for Ukraine. The sanctions are the football match of the qualification round for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil between Ukraine and Poland football teams in Kharkiv without spectators on 11 October 2013, the fine of CHF 45,000 for the Football Federation of Ukraine and ban for all plays of Ukrainian national football team in “Arena-Lviv” till the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia. So. What breaches of Ukrainian fans did the FIFA Disciplinary Committee announce, that Ukraine got such cruel football sanctions? Representatives of FARE, which were present at Ukraine-San Marino match in Lviv, informed FIFA about pyrotechnical devices, some neo-Nazi banners, Nazi salutes and racist exclamations, and FIFA decided to make sanctions for Ukrainian team.
The truth is that pyrotechnical devices were used by several football fans during Ukraine-San Marino match and pyrotechnical devices are breaches, of course. Further, midfielder of Ukrainian national football team and FC Metalist Kharkiv Brazilian Edmar Halovskyy de Lacerda officially proclaimed on TV-program “Big football” on Inter channel that he didn’t hear any racist exclamations of Lviv fans to him during that Ukraine-San Marino football match in “Arena-Lviv” and wrote the letter to FFU to refute FARE’s words about some racist exclamations to his address at Lviv stadium.
Further. What flags were named as neo-Nazi banners by FARE? Red-black flag of OUN (Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists) and UPA (Ukrainian Insurgent Army), Ukrainian nationalist organizations, the portraits of Stepan Bandera (the Head of OUN) and Roman Shukhevych (the Head of UPA) and the flag of Halychyna Division. Neither Nuremberg Trials, nor later scientific-historic conferences about the Second World War didn’t proclaimed Halychyna Division or UPA, or OUN as Nazi collaborators. OUN members and UPA soldiers with its leaders S. Bandera and R. Shukhevych were fighters for Ukrainian independence and state in the 1930′s years and during the Second World War against Polish, Soviet and Nazi troops. Stepan Bandera and Roman Shukhevych are also officially proclaimed Ukraine’s heroes on 22 January 2010 and on 12 October 2007 correspondently, and because of great love to football game of S. Bandera and R. Shukhevych, Ukrainian modern football fans bring portraits of Bandera and Shukhevych at the stadiums. These politicians and public figures were Ukrainian fighters for freedom, and if Ukrainians wouldn’t have such fighters in the XXth century, Ukraine couldn’t be the independent state. That’s why FIFA sanctions for Ukraine-San Marino match are very strange for Ukrainians. Nazism and nationalism are really very different political movements. Ukraine could be further in the USSR, if Ukrainian nationalist organizations wouldn’t fight for Ukraine’s independence during all XXth century.
Then, about some Nazi salutes, as FARE representatives described them in the report about Ukraine-San Marino football match. Everyone can see Ukrainian fans’ movements, named as Nazi salutes by FARE, on video in the end of this post, at 1:45-2:15 minutes.
Ukrainians raise their right hands and exclaim “Слава Україні” (“Slava Ukrayini” means “Glory to Ukraine”), “Героям слава” (“Heroyam slava” – “Glory to heroes”), “Слава нації” (“Slava natsiyi” – “Glory to nation”), “Смерть ворогам” (“Smert voroham” – “Death to enemies”), “Україно!” (“Ukrayino!” – “Ukraine!”). There are all patriotic ancient exclamations of Ukrainians, that have nothing to do with Nazi or nazism. There are Ukrainian patriotic exclamations, which had arisen more years before the rise of nazism.
Well, wonderful Ukrainian National Anthem contents such words as “Згинуть наші воріженьки як роса на сонці” (“Our enemies will die like a dew on the sun”). So what? It’ Ukraine State Anthem, Ukrainian history.
Ukraine was hugely banned by FIFA according to the report of FARE. But what is FARE? It’s “Football Against Racism Europe” federation. If there wasn’t racism at Lviv stadium, as football-player Edmar told on TV and wrote in the letter to FFU, if OUN, UPA and Halychyna Division had nothing to do with Nazi in the past century, and the flags of these organizatins were brought by Ukrainian football fans on 6 September 2013 in “Arena-Lviv” as flags of Ukrainian nationalists of the XXth century. So will FIFA cancel its sanctions for Ukraine? Where were fans’ breaches in “Arena-Lviv” with the exception of pyrotechnical devices?
And yes. It’s very important to know that FARE’s reports about Eastern Europe are published in Poland, and Polish FARE workers assiduously watch Ukrainian football matches. Specially created Eastern European Development Project of FARE is led by Polish “Never Again” Association and its leaders are two Poles – Rafal Pankowski and Jacek Purski. And yes. Stepan Bandera and Roman Shukhevych fought for Ukrainian independent state against Polish state power in the 1930′s years in Halychyna, against that Polish occupants of Western Ukraine. That’s why many Poles don’t like portraits of Bandera and Shukhevych in Ukrainian stadiums.
But Ukraine has its own history. Has any world organization the right to ban some state for its history?