Hooliganism documentary not a fair portrayal of multi-cultural Ukraine

After watching the Sky News documentary on the Donetsk hooligans, I asked myself one question: “What were the reporters trying to say?” Honestly, I could not find the answer, although I tried. One doesn’t have to go to Ukraine or any other country on a 6-month business trip to come to a conclusion that there are some football fans in Donetsk who support neo-Nazi ideas and like beating the hell out of other hooligans as well as watching such films as Green Street or American History X on a regular basis. Every person knows that such marginal groups exist absolutely everywhere. It goes without saying. It is like confirming the fact that the grass is green and the sky is blue.

I have lived in Donetsk for 31 years and I don’t remember a single incident connected with the fans’ violent behaviour that caused major problems, let alone racism-related crimes. Donetsk is home to 113(!) nationalities. Donetsk has always been a multinational city due to certain historical moments and people have always been coming to Donetsk from various former republics of the Soviet Union in search of a better life since the day the city was founded. For this reason, Donetsk can even hardly be called a Ukrainian city in the purest sense of the word. I am the Ukrainian and I love my country but I also have the Polish, Welsh, Jewish and Russian blood running through my veins. There are lot (if not the majority) of people like me living in Donetsk. My city has one of the biggest Jewish and North Caucasian communities in Ukraine and Russia.

I am not saying that Donetsk is Vatican City, where everything is nice and smooth, but it is definitely not the city the ordinary English fans, who are not looking for troubles, should be afraid of before coming to Ukraine and Donetsk, in particular. I don’t rule out the possibility of such problems but I know for sure that the risks are at least not higher compared to any other European country.

If asked, I don’t think that any black player or a player from the North Caucasian region, who was or is plying his trade for the Donetsk clubs Shakhtar and Metalurh, would tell you that he has experienced any serious problems that had to do with the colour of his skin or nationality. The Sky News reporters should have gone to Kyiv or Lviv or Polish towns where the nationalist movement among the local fans is far greater than in Donetsk. In this regard, I still don’t understand why the journalists chose Donetsk as their ultimate destination for this documentary.

There are far bigger problems and issues that currently exist in Ukraine, namely the calls to boycott the Euros, political and economical situation, the situation with human rights and so on. That said, I perfectly understand that this ‘pop journalism’ is a very easy thing to sell, as for ordinary people it is much more interesting to watch documentaries about gangs consisting of cell phone salesmen and their bouts against rival firms rather than watch the real problems that Ukraine, including Donetsk, has to tackle ahead of the European Championship. Donetsk has never witnessed anything like the recent riots that took place in London. It was like watching wild animals smashing and stealing everything that was in their way.

In the mid-90s I enjoyed wonderful 6 months living in a beautiful town of Bournemouth. I lived with a host family consisting of middle-class workers. They were very kind and helpful people. I still remember one conversation that I had with a father of the family. He told me about some horrible crimes that two Ukrainians committed in Bournemouth just before my arrival in England. Nevertheless, he and his wife were not afraid of letting me, the Ukrainian, go to the beach with their little son to swim in the Atlantic Ocean. Why is Theo Walcott’s family afraid of going to Donetsk then? I repeat, such marginal groups are everywhere, with their beloved London being no exception either.

It is very disappointing to see that many people, who are making comments on the Sky News documentary, see all Ukrainians as those who don’t like people representing other nationalities or cultures. Those moralists, who probably have not read a single book in their life, even degrade my country with questions like: “What is Ukraine?”, “Do you know any famous Ukrainians?”, “What did Ukraine give to the world?”

Categorical statements have never been regarded as something clever or wise. It is like blaming John Terry, let alone Luiz Suarez, for being racists based on the words they said in the heat of the moment. Does anyone seriously think that Terry and Suarez are right-wing nationalists? When I get the better of some of my friends at armwrestling, they may call me a “Jewish bastard” or they may use other ‘kind’ words. Do I think that they are racists? No, I don’t. I am just having a laugh at it because I know that at the end of the day they are the people whom I can always rely on, just like a wonderful family from Bournemouth could rely on me despite terrible crimes committed by my countrymen whom I don’t even want to call as “my countrymen”.

An overall picture, especially the one portrayed in dark colours on TV, is not always something a person can use to form his/her opinion about a country, city or culture, for there is a high risk of being biased, to say the least.

Written by Oleksandr Sereda for www.owngoalpodcast.com

Euro 2012: Is it possible to mix sport and politics?

It took Ukraine only one year to be on the verge of losing its right to host Euro 2012 after winning the bid to stage the aforementioned tournament together with Poland. In 2008, Michel Platini said approximately the following words: “Ukraine can be deprived of the European Championship, if the Olimpiyskyy stadium is not ready on the scheduled date”. Poland began mentally preparing for staging the competition on its own while Ukraine was covered with the first wave associated with sad prospects concerning Euro 2012.

This fear remained over the entire period of preparation for the European Championship. Nevertheless, all the stumbling stones on the path to Euro 2012 were removed, with Ukraine calmly waiting for the event to kick off. But then came Yulia Tymoshenko’s bruises received in a prison... The current Ukrainian government continues to take revenge on its political rivals, and on the European map, there are not many politicians left who have not called to boycott the Euros in Ukraine.

One can only ‘admire’ the position of Viktor Yanukovych’s team. Hypothetically, if they voiced it, it would sound something like this: “we have prepared for the tournament, but will continue taking revenge on our political opponents”. Between football and revenge, between moral values and revenge, the Ukrainian government, apparently, in all cases, chooses the latter.

Even Vladimir Putin is degrading Yanukovych by offering Tymoshenko medical care in Russia. In response to recent calls to boycott the Euros, Putin said that one should never mix sport and politics. However, it is very hard to believe in honesty of the words said by the old-new Russian president. In doing so, Vladimir Putin is not trying to support Yanukovych; he is just rehearsing justification of his authoritarian policies ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2018 FIFA World Cup which will be held in Russia.

The issue of whether it is possible to mix sport and politics should be viewed in more detail. Many believe that these two fields should not overlap, political cards should not be shuffled together with football ones. But is it really so? I don’t think so.

One of the main features of the political sphere is the set of rules in other planes of social life, including sport. For this reason, football cannot be outside politics, because it, at least from a formal point of view, is an element of sports subsystem, which is controlled by the relevant government authorities and international institutions.

When a large mass of people come to a country hosting an international tournament, special importance should be given to the issue of security. Undoubtedly, a country’s safety features characterize the type of political regime, the nature of law enforcement agencies, the level of social tensions, etc.

If football is more than just a game, then we must understand that a ‘place’, where football becomes more than a game, has to do with politics. The scale of financial flows, subcultures, the impact on the mood of the masses - all these factors characterize the modern world of football and fills it with a certain degree of socio-political content.

We must understand that when a government persecutes its opponents, sometimes the only source of help for the latter is the international community. If the situation is not critical, radical forms of political pressure are not necessary (e.g. imposing sanctions against a country's top officials.) One may opt for moderate forms of protest (e.g. political boycotts of specific sporting events). But taking neutral position, saying that sport should stay out of politics is a wrong move. In the words of Dante Alighieri, the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in a time of moral crisis, remain neutral.

Written by Eugen Stratievskiy for Ukrainian Football 1894

Dark side of the Ukrainian football moon

“At a football club, there's a holy trinity - the players, the manager and the supporters. Directors don't come into it. They are only there to sign the cheques, not to make them out. We'll do that - they just sign them.” Nowadays the above words said by Bill Shankly sound like a utopian perception of football, let alone the Ukrainian top flight.

The biggest tumour of the Soviet football was fixed matches. Everyone knew or was taking part in them, be it the Communist Party bosses of the former Soviet republics, coaches/friends or players.  The fiercest football confrontation of the Soviet era was the rivalry between Moscow and Kyiv.  In 1982, with two games remaining, Dynamo Kyiv and Dynamo Minsk were the main contenders for the league title. The Belorussian team had to play against Moscow’s sides Spartak and Dynamo. In order for Dynamo Kyiv not to become champions, the capital sides decided to lose against Dynamo Minsk. When Dynamo Moscow’s first-team players refused to participate in this circus they were replaced by players representing the reserve team which went on to lose 7-0.  Malofeev’s (Dynamo Minsk coach) ‘sincere football’ reaped not very ‘sincere’ fruits in the end.  

Dynamo Kyiv knew the rules of the game too and had to respond adequately. Volodymyr Maski (football writer): “Did Lobanovskyy ‘play’ such games? Yes, he did. What was he supposed to do in the situation when the majority of Moscow’s teams and other sides were collectively fighting against his team? Even in this stinky business Lobanovskyy was smarter and more honest than everyone. He did not take the money. He included fixed matches in the competition strategy plan: today I'll give you points, and tomorrow you will return them”. What now seems as shocking revelations back then was regarded as a matter of course.

It would be wrong to say that things radically changed after the break-up of the Soviet Union. Behind-the-scene clashes were as strong as ever. Since mid 90-s some people have been accusing Grigoriy Surkis ( former politician, one of the richest people in Ukraine and the brother of Dynamo Kyiv’s current president Igor Surkis) of excessive power in the Ukrainian football. The biggest bullets of criticism have been flying from Shakhtar whose muscles have been getting bigger and bigger since that time. From 1996 – 2000, Grigoriy Surkis was president of the Professional Football League of Ukraine and vice-president of the Football Federation of Ukraine (FFU), before taking over as FFU president in 2002. Having looked at Grigoriy Surkis’ brief football biography and aforementioned connections, it is not hard to identify the reasons for criticism. And let’s not forget the fact that from 1993-2002 Grigoriy Surkis was de facto and de jure the owner of Dynamo Kyiv, before handing over the reins to his brother Igor.

Indeed, such a brotherhood would surely not go down too well in the top European leagues but on the other hand, as Semen Sluchevskyy (one of the most respected Ukrainian journalists) points out: “Who would become the scapegoats, if Igor Surkis offered his seat to Andriy Shevchenko, Oleg Luzhnyy or Sergiy Rebrov, for instance?”  There is also an example of Silvio Berlusconi (Milan’s owner) who was Italian prime minister and whose power was far greater than Grigoriy Surkis could ever dream of.

The other two fiercest opponents of the Surkis regime are Oleksandr Yaroslavskyy (Metalist's president) and Igor Kolomoyskyy (Dnipro's president).

Yaroslavskyy’s biggest disappointment came when his team was deducted 9 points for the alleged match-fixing scandal involving Metalist and Karpaty. Oleksandr Yaroslavskyy’s explanation was the following: “Grigoriy Surkis got rid of the competitor for the Champions League spot”. When asked about lodging an appeal to the FFU Appeal Committee, Metalist’s president replied that there was not much point in doing so, as this organization entirely consisted of people representing a company owned by the Surkis brothers.

As for Igor Kolomoyskyy, in the aftermath of Dnipro’s defeat at the hands of Dynamo, during the football show on Ukrainian TV, his frustration with the standards of refereeing was so unbearable that it made him give away Igor Surkis’ phone number, proposing the hosts to call Dynamo’s president to ask what he thought about the controversial refereeing decisions. Igor Surkis replied that if Kolomoyskyy had been a decent and well-educated person he would never have done that. 

If Sun Tzu had lived in our time he would have surely written a book about the art of media wars in Ukraine. This year has probably seen the biggest scandal in Ukrainian football of late. Denis Garmash’s sending-off in Dynamo’s away defeat against Shakhtar and the events that followed this episode detonated a bomb in the Ukrainian media as well as mutual accusations involving both clubs’ top officials and players. FFU’s Control and Disciplinary Committee has rescinded Garmash’s second yellow card based on the fact that Yuriy Vaks sent the player off for actions that did not actually take place. Pierluigi Collina (head of referees for the Football Federation of Ukraine) confirmed that Vaks made a mistake, but it was not his biased decision as it was portrayed by some. The funny thing is that prior to the game Shakhtar’s coach Mircea Lucescu was unhappy with the fact that Vaks would officiate this match and was trying to convince anyone that Vaks was ‘pro-Dynamo’ referee.  The most radical explanation of the reasons behind Vaks’ decisions came from the former press officer of the Ukraine national team, who is currently representing the biggest right-wing nationalist party in Ukraine. He said that Shakhtar had bribed Vaks before the match.  

The biggest problem of the recent conflict in Ukrainian football is that the ‘Vaksgate scandal’ may affect Ukraine’s dressing-room come Euro 2012, as Oleg Blokhin’s team mainly consists of Shakhtar’s and Dynamo’s players. I have no idea how Oleg Blokhin will make Shakhtar’s Rakytskyy and Dynamo’s Shovkovskyy shake hands in light of their verbal brawl after the game but I hope he will be much wiser than those who care only about their own corporate interests.

Nevermind 'politically correct statements', Here's Oleg Blokhin

During his playing career at Dynamo Kyiv Oleg Blokhin was called by his team-mates "The Flea". On the pitch, he really floated like a flea making the opposing defenders panic, and as the Russian saying goes "He never had to search for the right word deep inside his pocket". 

On smoking:

- When I used to be a footballer I was smoking 2 or 3 cigarettes a day. After becoming a coach I could have smoked a whole pack when emotions got the better of me.

On results of the Euro 2012 draw:

- If it is a group of death, then I need to shoot myself.

On participation in the opening ceremony of the Olimpiyskyy stadium:

- Do you want me to sing instead of Shakira? You can also set up the guillotine and cut my head off.

On Andriy Shevchenko’s second place in the golf tournament:

- We did congratulate him. Now he has to come to us and share his prize money.

On why the team doesn’t ‘park the bus’ when needed:

- I am tired of playing ‘Stalingrad’. And, frankly, there are not any bullets left for shooting back.

On Euro 2012 in Ukraine:

- The Ukrainian police should know a little more than just two words in English. “Face” and “table” is not enough.

On the national team selection:

- Having beautiful eyes won’t guarantee anyone a first-team berth.

On tactical coaching:

 - I spend on it no more than 30 minutes, as this is how much players can take.  Otherwise, they start falling asleep as well as sending text messages to their wives and girlfriends.

On Ukraine’s 1-4 defeat vs France:

- To concede 3 goals in the space of 3 minutes is really something!

On Shakhtar’s and Dynamo’s exit from the European competitions:

- I must confess that this is good from a national team coach point of view, but in terms of our clubs’ prestige, this is bad.

On victory over Saudi Arabia:

- It's like a fairy tale about Cinderella: pumpkin turned into a happy coach, and other animals into beautiful horses.

On tuxedo:

-Tuxedo makes you look at some things from a different angle but it is not something you want to wear on a daily basis.

On organizational problems before Euro 2012:

- We have problems with stadiums? We have a problem with the team.

On Real Madrid:

- In 1973 Real Madrid was ready to pay 9 million dollars for me – astronomic money! But I never considered moving there, as I was perfectly aware what repressions my parents would be subjected to.

Euro 2012: Part 2. English connection

“I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives.  I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him.” – Abraham Lincoln

London. June 22. 1996. Covent Garden

It is hard to forget the aforementioned date, for it showed me what England and its football culture was all about. Before coming to the place that we often call in Ukraine ‘A Foggy Albion‘ I had never thought that it would change my perception of football, let alone my way of thinking. There was a feeling as if I dived into the unknown ocean, which, in turn, was full of emotions, national pride, patriotism, sense of unity and tremendous love for football as well as everything that surrounds it. I had a desire to be part of this ‘community’ – to become one of those people singing in unison Football’s Coming Home in an Irish pub somewhere in Covent Garden. Back then, football almost certainly seemed more than just a game involving twenty-two players and a ball.

London. June 26. 1996. Wembley.

The dream finally came true – here I was, watching England v Germany at one of the best stadiums in the world and singing together with everyone the song I heard in central London a few days ago.

One of the modern-day musicians said that “Led Zeppelin’s songs take you to another dimensions”. From my point of view, this statement could fully describe (if that possible at all) the atmosphere that I experienced while standing side by side with English fans. That was probably one of the most memorable and brightest moments in many people’s lives. It was like a big friendly family that you have always been a part of.

Ukraine. 16 years later

Where politicians fail, football can succeed. As mentioned in the previous article, Ukraine is still ideologically, culturally and politically divided into two parts – eastern and western Ukraine. Since 1991, when Ukraine gained its independence, there has not been really any major event that could truly unite the nation and make it realize that it is no longer a ‘Russia’s younger brother’  whose steps we should follow. Recent political events (massive fraud during parliamentary elections) in the neighbouring country showed that pro-European values mean absolutely nothing for its political elite.

Could Euro 2012 become a determining factor in terms of national identity? According to my own experience, I think it can.  I may not remember what happened a week ago but I perfectly remember what happened sixteen years ago and what influence it had on me, not only in purely football terms.

Euro 2012: Part 1. Preparation and two hemispheres of the brain.

On the national characteristics of the preparations for Euro 2012

Cultural and geographical division of Ukraine into western and eastern parts is associated with a division of a human brain into the right and left hemispheres. The right-bank (western) Ukraine is the right hemisphere creating symbols, dreams and visualizations. The left-bank (eastern) Ukraine is the left hemisphere responsible for logic, analysis and practical thinking. In the Ukrainian reality such comparisons are expressed in the fact that western Ukraine is driven by a national ideological, cultural and symbolic attitude towards the country, whereas in the eastern part of Ukraine the attitude is influenced by economics and heavy industry.

Idea is excellent, implementation is poor

Ukraine and Poland won the right to host the European Championship in 2007. At that time, the president of Ukraine was Viktor Yushchenko, whose ‘electorate base’ represented western Ukraine. Under the Orange Revolution leader and till the very end of his term (2010), Ukraine’s preparation for Euro 2012 was more abstract and figurative than concrete. There was much talk that the European Championship could become a Ukrainian national idea that would consolidate the country by the means of a united and enthusiastic preparation for the championship. The authorities also emphasized the fact that Euro 2012 was another global step towards Greater Europe, which was waiting for us with a sincere belief that the ‘orange’ ideals would not end up being thrown out of the window. Yushchenko's team, somehow, managed to develop in a Ukrainian society the ideological, cultural and mythical perception of the European Championship. However, the excessive obsession with a symbolic side of Euro 2012 considerably affected its practical side, resulting in Ukraine almost losing its right to host the European Championship.

Implementation is excellent, idea is poor

In 2010, Viktor Yanukovych, heavily supported by the left-bank (eastern) regions of the country, became the President of Ukraine. The team of the new president did not have much to do with the ideological and ethno-cultural part of the European Championship. Attention was diverted entirely to the fact that in two years time everything had to be fixed, repaired, built, organized, launched and so on. Today we can say that the current Ukrainian government – despite its ‘controversial domestic performance’ – still managed to put in order the practical part of preparations for Euro 2012. However, over the past two years, the Ukrainian government has not shown a remarkable vigour and creativity in terms of promoting the European Championships as a Ukrainian national idea that could unite both banks of the Dnipro River. Sure, one can refer to the fact that Yanukovych's team, being in the final and most intensive stage of preparation for Euro 2012, has no time to engage in ‘political football’. But it seems that even if there had been enough time, the European Championship still would not have national ideological halo flying around it.

Thus, the process of preparation for Euro 2012 saw the Yushchenko team ‘shipping in goals’ as a result of a poor organizational and technical display, whereas the performance of Yanukovych's squad suffered in the ideological and symbolic department.  An idealist would vindicate Yushchenko’s approach, arguing that practice is certainly a good thing, but without the ideological support the implementation of national projects is impossible. From a materialistic point of view, one would justify the Yanukovych team by saying that one cannot build expensive roads, stadiums and hotels, using ideas and words as your only tools. Either way, we have obtained a puzzle that is folded quite easily: Yushchenko provided the ideological component of Euro 2012, while Yanukovych succeeded in a practical side of things. The right hemisphere united with the left hemisphere and formed a holistic brain. But it is not down to Yanukovych and Yushchenko. Their teams consisted of ordinary players who – by virtue of their professional abilities – were or were not solving the various problems. The main thing is an incentive for national development, the stimulus which Europe gave to Ukraine after awarding the latter with the right to stage Euro 2012. There is even a better way of putting it: this is Ukraine’s challenge (!). The challenge that has lasted  for five years forced Ukrainian government officials to think not only about how to use power for personal gain, but also about how not ‘to fall into the mud’ (as they say in Ukraine and Russia) come the summer of 2012. And this is one of the peculiarities of the Eastern Slavs’ mentality: your home may be one big mess, but when you go outside you must be compelling and flawless.

To be continued…

Written by Evgen Sereda and Oleksandr Sereda

Cream of the Ukrainian crop

                                                 Evgen Konoplyanka (The Karate Kid)

                                              

Date of birth: 29-09-89

Height: 176 cm

Weight: 69 kg

Foot: right

Club: Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk

Position: right/left winger

Number: 10

“I grew up in the family where sport was always on the agenda. When I was 7 I took up karate and I went on to achieve some considerable success in this area”. Well, Ukraine probably blew its chance to have its very own UFC lightweight champion but instead of that, it has one of the brightest football stars the banks of the Dnipro river have ever seen. “I do not want to be the second Messi. I am Evgen Konoplyanka”.  Evgen joined the ranks of Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in 2006 and in the 2009/2010 season cemented his first-team berth. On May 25, 2010 he made his debut for the national team in the match against Lithuania. “My first salary was 300$, it was a big money for me back then”.  Now Juande Ramos, current manager of Dnipro, estimates the winger’s value at 50$ mln. Evgen’s most favourite player is Lionel Messi and having watched Ukraine’s recent friendly against Germany, some similarities between the two footballers do spring to mind. Being an extremely fast player with a magnificent technique, acceleration and pace, not to mention his right-footed screamers, Evgen is ready to set EURO 2012 on fire. His self-confidence (not overconfidence) can help him make another big professional step in his career. 

                                                                          Evgen in action                                      

                                                                     

                                                                   Denys Garmash (Creator-Destroyer)

Date of birth: 19-04-90

Height: 187 cm

Weight: 77 kg

Foot: right

Club: Dynamo Kyiv

Position: central midfielder

Number: 19

A hard working box-to-box midfielder - the ‘son’ of Zidane and Gattuso, who can create and destroy as well as unleash piledrivers from long range. On November 7, Denis Garmash won his first cap for Ukraine national team. Denis made his senior debut for Dynamo in the friendly game vs Milan and it took him around 30 minutes to impress Milan’s vice-president Adriano Galliano as well as the spectators who had no idea who this tall and thin lad was. Denis Garmash was named the best player of EURO U-19. In the final match of the aforementioned tournament he netted the opener against England. Another match worth mentioning is Dynamo’s game in the Europa League vs Besiktas, the match that saw Denis volleying home a dramatic last-ditch winner that he labelled as the most important goal in his career. Denis joined Dynamo Kyiv in 2007 after coming through the ranks of the Lugansk, Donetsk and Kyiv youth systems. Sometimes, Denis becomes the victim of his own emotions that get the better of him as a result of some controversial episodes during the game. 

                                                                        Denys in action

                                                                     

                                                Yaroslav Rakytskyy (Ukrainian Beckenbauer)                 

                                                                                                                                                                      

Date of birth: 03-08-89

Number: 44

Weight: 70 kg

Foot: left

Club: Shakhtar

Position: central defender

Height: 180 cm

Yaroslav Rakytskyy is probably one of the best European central defenders of his generation. His trademark is fighting spirit, left-footed long shots, runs from deep, leadership qualities and Beckenbauer-esque passes. He looked very impressive last season for Shakhtar and was included in the EURO U-21 dream team despite Ukraine’s below par performance. Yaroslav is the product of the FC Shakhtar Academy. In the 2009/2010 season, he became a first-team regular after putting on decent performances in the Shakhtar’s Europa League campaign. Another factor that influenced Lucescu to give a young defender a chance was Dmytro Chygrynskyy’s transfer to Barcelona. In 2009, according to the poll carried out by UA-Football Rakytskyy was named the best young player of the season. Yaroslav is the type of a footballer, who does not really care whom to play against, be it Lionel Messi or Vasyl Sachko (a veteran target-man from Vorskla Poltava). He always gives his 100 per cent whenever he is on the pitch. Despite his growing reputation and transfer rumours, Rakytskyy is committed to Shakhtar and has no plans of moving abroad in the foreseeable future. Yaroslav earned his first cap for Ukraine on October 10, 2009.

                                                           Yaroslav in action

                                                                                     

                                             Andriy Yarmolenko (The New Sheva)

Date of birth: 10-23-89

Height: 185 cm

Weight: 72 kg

Foot: left

Club: Dynamo Kyiv

Position: right/left winger

Number: 9

St Petersburg-born winger, who scored the fastest goal in the history of Ukraine national team, joined Dynamo Kyiv in 2007 from a low tier club. Andriy became the first-team player under Valeriy Gazaev and has never looked back.  Before signing for Dynamo, the promising footballer had been labelled by various Ukrainian football experts as the ‘new Shevchenko’. According to Bleacher Report, Andriy Yarmolenko is one of the best young players in the world (27th place in the ranking). He is an explosive and skilful winger who likes doing his tricks at pace. According to Andriy, he feels more comfortable when deployed as inverted winger; on the right flank. He has a devastating left foot and is really unstoppable on his day.  His main weapon is dribbling, pace, technique and long-rangers. He is the one who can make all the difference when the going gets tough. Ukraine's wing-play in the form of Andriy Yarmolenko as well as Evgen Konoplyanka could be ace up Oleg Blokhin's sleeve during EURO 2012.

                                                          Andriy in action