Zenit assistant coach Anatoliy Tymoshchuk is Ukraine’s most-capped player and has been punished by his country’s football association
Fans of reigning Russian Premier League (RPL) champions Zenit St. Petersburg have shown their support for Ukraine legend Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, the club’s assistant coach who has been banned for life by his country’s football association and received fierce criticism for his perceived silence over the conflict in his homeland.
Champions League winner Tymoshchuk has been accused of “co-operation with the club of the aggressor” by the Ukrainian Football Association (UAF), which has withdrawn the previously revered figure’s coaching licence and haul of medals he won during a celebrated career in Ukraine, including three Ukrainian Premier League titles with Shakhtar Donetsk.
The 42-year-old is the record cap-holder for the Ukraine national team, making 144 appearances across a 16-year career which included leading the country to the quarterfinals of their only World Cup appearance, in 2006, and being named as their joint-greatest ever player.
Some Zenit fans unfurled a banner during their side’s 1-1 league draw at Krylya Sovetov on Sunday, reportedly telling him: “Tolya, we are with you.”
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The UAF has called for the three-time Ukrainian Footballer of the Year to be deprived of his state honors, including the Ukrainian Bravery Order he won in 2006.
In a statement, it claimed that Tymoshchuk had “damaged the image of Ukrainian football” by making a “conscious choice” not to condemn the conflict, adding that he had violated the association’s ethics and fair play code.