He FC Kryvbas, rivals of Real Betis in the playoff for access to the Conference League in the tie on August 22 and 29, has asked UEFA to withdraw the referee appointed for the first leg, the Turk Arda Kardeşler, for “pro-Russian”, who directed a friendly meeting between Russia and Serbia on March 24 in Moscow.
It should be noted that FC Kryvbas is the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenskyand that this was the main driver of its foundation, four years ago, rising meteorically since then from the Third Division to the First Division and was third in the Ukrainian league last season, after the intractable Shakhtar Donetsk and Dinamo Kiev, who won all leagues in the country since 1992.
The note made public on FC Kryvbas’ official website says the following:
“FC Kryvbas submitted a request to UEFA to replace the Turkish referee Arda Kardeşler was nominated for the play-off match of the Conference League 2024/2025 Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine – Real Betis, Spain, which will take place next Thursday, August 22 in the city of Kosice, Slovakia.
We found that this referee officiated a friendly match between Russia and Serbia on March 21, 2024 in Moscow, Russia. Therefore, we consider Arda Kardeshler arbitrated unacceptablyor a match involving a Ukrainian football club.
As you know, the war in Ukraine has continued for the third year due to the large-scale military aggression of the Russian Federation. Despite the war, Ukraine organizes football competitions at all levels. We owe this opportunity to the Ukrainian military, which bravely defends our country, protecting it from the Russian invaders.
In the 2023/2024 season, FC Kryvbas received the right to represent Ukraine on the international stage. However, the refereeing of our international match by a referee who refereed the match with the participation of Russians, even directly in Russia, discredits our entire Club before everyone else. Fans of Kryvbas, where there is a lot of military which is currently protecting our country from Russian attacks, as well as the entire Ukraine, which is suffering from Russian military aggression.
FC “Kryvbas” also informed the Ukrainian Football Association and the UAF Referees Committee about the situation. “We believe that common sense will prevail.”
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
