Russia was kicked out of world football after the invasion of Ukraine. Still, at the heart of Uefa’s decision making is Alexander Duykov, the chairman of Gazprom Neft, a company with a private army fighting Ukrainians.
By Sam Kunti, Philippe Auclair and Lars Johnsen
At Euro 2024 last summer, a part of the stand of the Sonyachny Stadium was displayed before Ukraine’s matches. The venue served as a facility for the Ukrainian national team and staged the Netherlands’ training sessions during Euro 2012, the tournament Ukraine co-hosted with Poland. The stadium in Kharkiv has been unusable since it was destroyed by heavy Russian shelling in May 2022.
Lead photo: Uefa executive committee member Alexander Duykov in conversation with Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin, June 2024.
It was a reminder of the destruction that torments and cripples Ukrainian football. Across the country, over 150 football stadiums, training complexes and pitches have been damaged or destroyed as a result of Russian attacks according to an investigation by Tribuna. Professional clubs have folded and football players have fallen victim to the war, including former FC Kudrivka player Oleksandr Sukhenko. Along with his mother and father, he was tortured, killed and buried in a shallow grave with his hands tied behind his back. Russian soldiers shot and killed Irpin BKZ forward Oleksandr Ivashchuk as he tried to e...
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