Russia are not happy with Ukraine’s Euro 2020 kit. Here’s why
For those of you taking an unapologetic stance on kneeling before matches, please turn your heads to another Euro 2020 statement. Ukraine’s chosen kit for the upcoming games details its borders, including the peninsula Crimea. If that were not enough, they also have opted for “glory to Ukraine” stitched on the collar.
Andrii Pavelko revealed the kits on Facebook through a series of images and a promotional video. The video, which seems more like the reveal of the Avengers than a football kit, shows the map igniting with electricity as the music thumps in the background.
Crimea has a long history of conquest and has been the battleground for Russian and Ukrainian locals. Since 2014, Crimea has been annexed by the Russian government, though this has been recognised internationally as illegal and unjust.
Since 2014, there is now a Russian backed separatist group in Crimea. It is essential to mention that this is not two nations squabbling like children over a border. With numerous bombings, violent protests, and armed insurgency, Crimea has been an international point of debate since 2014.
Russia’s deputy MP Dmitry Svischev told the RIA news agency that the jersey design was a “political provocation”.
However, all kits are preapproved by UEFA, and had the following to say to the BBC: “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 yellow show details Ukraine’s borders on the front etched into the fabric with white stitches. Both “Glory to Ukraine” and “Glory to heroes” are used as official military greetings, signifying that the shirts act as passive resistance.
Naturally, Russia is far from happy. With numerous politicians seemingly ignoring the fact that the international community does not recognise their illegal annexe of Crimea, Uefa has not commented on the matter further.
Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, took to social media to call the slogan nationalist and even compared the two slogans to German Nazi chants.
Ukraine is set to play their opening match in Group C Euro 2020 against the Netherlands on Sunday, 13 June. You can find the full fixture list here.
