Football Federation of Ukraine (FFU) said on today that the recent FIFA sanctions were too severe, therefore it will appeal them.
FIFA announced its decision last week Friday, saying that Ukraine must play their next home 2014 World Cup qualifying match against Poland without spectators because of racist behaviour of their fans.
The FFU Vice President Sergiy Storozhenko during a news conference today said the country’s football body has already prepared an appeal, which shows that the body is not happy with sanctions by the World Football Governing Body FIFA and they will also give FIFA their own assessment in the incidents which led to the harsh sanctions by FIFA.
The world governing body said that Ukraine’s supporters were involved in “several racist and discriminatory incidents” during the 9-0 win over San Marino in a qualifier in Lviv on September 6. The report cited Nazi salutes, racist chants and monkey sounds and gestures as being the incidents that triggered the sanctions.
Storozhenko said further that the Ukraine body disagreed with evaluation categories used by FARE referring to Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE), which reported incidents to FIFA and FIFA, expaling that ‘If there appeared to be three idiots who did it in the stadium which was 100 per cent full, with some 35,000 (fans), why should 47 million Ukrainians be punished?’.
He added that however rules exist for everybody and called on fans to observe them strictly.
Ukraine has also been banned from playing any qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup in Russia at the Lviv Arena. FIFA’s disciplinary committee also fined the Ukraine Football Federation (FFU) 45,000 Swiss francs ($49,800).
Ukraine, who host Poland on October 11 before their last qualifier away to San Marino, are second in Group H on 15 points, level with Montenegro and one behind leaders England. Poland is fourth with 13 points.