GENEVA — Ukrainian soccer membership Dynamo Kyiv informed Turkish rival Fenerbahce it had “blood on your hands” for going to Russia to play Zenit St. Petersburg on Sunday in a preseason sport.
It is the most recent dispute between two golf equipment who performed one another within the Champions League qualifying rounds and Europa League final season, and will meet once more inside weeks within the Europa Conference League.
Dynamo posted a press release on its Instagram account with crimson splashes on the blue brand of Russian state vitality big Gazprom, the long-time proprietor and shirt sponsor of Zenit.
“The bloody money of Gazprom has eclipsed everything for you, left you without honor and conscience,” Dynamo mentioned, focusing on the storied Istanbul membership.
Gazprom was dropped by UEFA as a Champions League and 2024 European Championship sponsor inside days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine beginning in February final 12 months.
UEFA additionally eliminated all Russian groups from its competitions and stripped the nation of internet hosting the 2022 Champions League closing at Zenit’s house stadium in St. Petersburg, the place Fenerbahce performed Sunday.
“Nothing can justify this step” the Kyiv membership wrote Sunday. “No money can compensate you for this shameful behavior, this trip to the killer without morals and human qualities.”
Fenerbahce mentioned it accepted the invitation to Russia after internet hosting Zenit in Istanbul. The groups performed a charity sport in March to lift help cash a number of weeks after the earthquake within the Turkey-Syria border area.
One 12 months in the past, when Fenerbahce and Dynamo met in a Champions League qualifying spherical, followers in Istanbul chanted Vladimir Putin’s identify after the Ukrainian crew took the lead in a sport it might go on to win.
Fenerbahce mentioned then that the followers’ chant didn’t characterize the membership’s views, but additionally urged that “exaggerated gestures” by Dynamo gamers had served as provocation.
UEFA fined the Turkish membership 50,000 euros ($55,000) for the incident. There have been no related disciplinary instances when the groups met twice extra final season within the Europa League group stage, with Fenerbahce successful each video games.
Dynamo and Fenerbahce will each play in qualifying rounds of the third-tier Europa Conference League within the subsequent month and will presumably be drawn collectively within the group stage in the event that they each qualify.
Dynamo can not play in Ukraine in UEFA competitions for safety causes and final 12 months hosted video games in Poland.
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