When the Ukraine Football Association unveiled their new national team shirt ahead of Euro 2020, little did they imagine the severe reaction it would fetch.
Controversy arose as the football association decided to include a map of Ukraine on the shirt. However, what really drove the point home and caused a massive outrage in Russia was the inclusion of the Crimean Peninsula.
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and though the Moscow government considers it as a part of Russia, internationally it is still recognized as a part of Ukraine.
Head of the Ukraine Football Association Andriy Pavelko unveiled the shirt on his Facebook page. The front of the yellow kit also has the borders of Ukraine in white. “Glory to Ukraine!” reads a slogan at the top of the back while yet another slogan, “Glory to the heroes!” is placed inside the shirt. What’s interesting is that both phrases are official military greeting in Ukraine.
A Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov said that Ukraine’s choice of uniform can be considered as political provocation.
When asked whether it could fuel trouble if Ukraine and Russia go head-to-head in the knockout stages, Peskov replied, “Sport is sport, and we need to be above the incitement of hatred between Russians and Ukrainians.”
Meanwhile, according to news agency RIA, Russian parliamentarian Dmitry Svishchev said that showing a map of Ukraine “which includes a Russian territory is illegal.”
Spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova expressed on social media that the slogans on the shirt were nationalistic and “Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the heroes!” echoed a German Nazi rallying cry.
The US Embassy based in Kyiv, Ukraine however declared that it liked the kit on Twitter. “Love the new look. Glory to Ukraine! #CrimeaisUkraine.”
“I really like our team’s new uniform,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter. “I can tell those who are fussing because they can’t stand our internationally recognized borders or our official state greeting: We will not allow our national symbols to be insulted!”
Diplomatic relations between the two countries declined sharply after Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the start of a Russian-backed rebellion in eastern Ukraine asking for separation.
Ukraine will face the Netherlands, Austria and North Macedonia in Group C while Russia will take on Belgium, Denmark and Finland in Group B.
