Xenophobia in Sport
In October 2014, the football match between Ukraine and Macedonia was suspended due to the firecrackers thrown from the stands and hooligan behavior of fans.
Football racism became fairly widespread in Ukraine, in 2014. Fans of Karpaty FC (Lviv) are considered to be most radically-minded. Although, according to some reports, certain football players have been influenced by nationalist ideas alongside their fans. However, it would be incorrect to claim that nationalism is inherent to just this football club.
On September 15, 2014, it was reported that Karpati FC is changing its uniform to make it resemble the uniform of Ukrainian Insurgent Army. Football club also announced that it will change its logo to a red-black flag of UPA.
In late November, 2014, press liaison of the Ukrainian national football team Alexandr Glivinsky spoke at a round table on “Measuring patriotism in football – culture of fandom”. He said that he supports the legalisation of SS Galicia symbols in the country. “We will have to fight and defend our symbol – the trident, the blue-yellow flag, Roman Shukhevich and Stepan Bandera – because we still have to prove that they are not fascists, they were never fascists. It is the consequence of the Soviet propaganda, which tarnished us while Ukrainians were killed during the Holodomor and later.” According to him, the SS Galicia were the Sich Riflemen, not the German SS.
On October 20, 2015 in Kiev during a football match between the teams Dynamo (Kiev) and Chelsea UEFA Champions League at the stadium “Olympic” fans of the Kiev club (presumably related to the fan group “Rodici”) brutally beat five black fans ( by the way, also sick for the Kiev club), as well as several people who tried to intercede for the victims.
At the same time, according to witnesses of beatings, the attacks were accompanied by cries of “White power!”, Which is a sign of involvement in the beating of participants in the “skinhead” movement.
According to media reports, assistants to People's Deputies of Ukraine and acting police officers took part in the beating. “Distinguished” and the director of the National Sports Complex “Olympic” Vladimir Spilnichenko, who expressed the idea of creating a separate sector in the stands for black fans.
As a result, UEFA decided to punish Dynamo for a racist incident on October 20 with a fine of 100 thousand euros. In addition, two closest home matches in the European Cups the club was to hold with empty stands, for the third match the ban is distributed conditionally with a trial period of three years. In general, football ultras have long been closely associated with the right-wing political movement. Very often at football matches in Ukraine, one can hear and see Nazi and racist symbols, which does not cause any reaction from representatives of law enforcement agencies.
