Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova scoffed at the design as a 'desperate' gesture. 'The shirt of the Ukrainian national team (and of all other teams) for UEFA Euro 2020 has been approved by UEFA, in accordance with the applicable equipment regulations,' the Switzerland-based organization said. Pavelko is a member of the executive committee of European soccer body UEFA, which signed off on the design for the tournament. Russia also has cast its support behind separatists in eastern Ukraine, where seven years of fighting has killed more than 14,000.Īndrii Pavelko, the president of the Ukrainian soccer association, presented the new uniform on Facebook on Sunday, hailing it as a symbol of the 'single and undivided homeland' that would inspire players to 'fight for entire Ukraine.' Most of the world hasn't acknowledged the annexation and international law still recognizes Crimea as Ukrainian territory. The yellow-and-blue Ukrainian design features a map of the country including Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014 following the ouster of its Moscow-friendly president. The rivals of the Ukrainian national team in the group stage of the continental championship will be the teams of the Netherlands, Austria and North Macedonia.Įarlier it was reported that Oleksandr Zinchenko was included in the application of the Ukrainian national football team for Euro 2020.Ĭrimea became a Russian region after a referendum held there in March 2014, in which most residents voted in favor of reunification with Russia.A tense tug-of-war between Russia and Ukraine has spread to soccer, with Russian officials and lawmakers denouncing the design of the Ukrainian national team's shirt for this month's European Championship. The European Championship, which was postponed from the summer of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, will be held from June 11 to July 11.

This is the most valuable outline of our country for all of us.Ī united and indivisible homeland with Crimea, Donetsk, Lugansk, Kiev, my native Dnieper, Lvov, Odessa and all cities and villages, where the main melody from childhood is the melody of the national anthem, 'Pavelko wrote on Facebook. Its main attribute will be a talisman and a symbol dear to the heart of every Ukrainian.

“Ukraine will play at the Euro in a new special form. The form will also depict the Crimean peninsula, which has been part of Russia since 2014, which is not recognized by Ukraine.

Ukraine uniform euro 2020