FC Vorskla manager slams UEFA for match relocation

FC Vorskla coach Vasyl Sachko has criticised UEFA after their much-anticipated game against Arsenal was moved from Vorskla to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

Following the imposition of martial law in ten regions of the country after Russia seized Ukrainian military vessels in Crimea, Europe’s football governing body relocated Vorskla’s fixture against the Premier League side to Kyiv due to safety reasons two days before the game was due to take place.

‘A holiday was taken away’

Speaking to the press after his side’s 3-0 loss to the Gunners, Sachko said: “A holiday was taken away from Poltava. This game was very important for our city, one of the most important games for ten years.

“We were preparing very much and it was expected to be like a holiday. We spent a lot of our energy and we did everything we could to prepare the match.”

A mental-mind game

Sachko also hit out that the relocation of the fixture influenced the mentality of the Vorskla players.

“It influenced the mental condition of the players very much because only in 24 hours everything had changed. That was a big influence on the mentality of the team.

“The city lost a lot. A thousand supporters were going to come from other cities to support our team. The city really lost a holiday. If we played at home there would definitely be another result.”

The young guns impress for Arsenal

Although the game was ruined for the ‘host’ team, the visiting team had a lot of positives to take from the match. Arsenal ran away 3-0 winners with goals from academy products Emile Smith Rowe and Joseph Willock, as well as a first-half penalty from Aaron Ramsey, who was one of the few senior players to make the trip to Ukraine.

As well as the youngsters impressing, three Hale End products made their competitive debut from the bench last night. Zech Medley, Bukayo Saka and Charlie Gilmour all came on in the second half to become the latest players in Arsenal’s history to represent the club for the first time.