The world soccer regulator said it wouldn’t review the case before the crucial Oct. 11 game against Poland, so it lifted its stadium closure order. A fine of $50,000 still stands as does a ban to play in Lviv for the next World Cup qualifying cycle, pending the appeal review.
Ukraine’s football association challenged the severity of the punishment but not many of the accusations. It acknowledged that neo-Nazi paraphernalia was on display in Lviv during the Sept. 6 match against San Marino. One fan wore a t-shirt in with a code for “Heil Hitler.” A banner featured a neo-Nazi slogan displayed by far-right groups around Europe with an image of brass knuckles and a razor blade. In another incident, a group of about 30 people made monkey noises and gestures after Edmar Halovsky, a Brazil-born and naturalized Ukrainian, scored a goal.
There were also nine incidents of pyrotechnic use, a clear violation of FIFA’s match safety regulations.
After denouncing the actions, Serhiy Storozhenko – a vice president of the Football Federation of Ukraine — stressed that the association would, nonetheless, challenge the severity of FIFA’s punishment . He argued that regional cultural and historical features exclusive to western Ukraine weren’t given enough consideration.
His reasoning amounts to the argument that a few bad apples should not spoil the fun for the nation’s 45 million people.
But Storozhenko was categorical about politics having no place in soccer. He was quick to remind journalists that FIFA and Europe’s top soccer governing body have sent warning letters before that alleged other infractions had taken place in Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and, most recently in Kyiv, where Ukrainian fans lit torches during the England World Cup qualifier.
He has warned regional football associations, local fans clubs and teams of the consequences of fan misbehavior. Ukraine’s soccer governing body must have an ironclad policy that does not tolerate racist or threatening behavior. And it must back up this policy with tough enforcement that bans misbehaving fans from matches.
