FFU Drop Calls for President Departure After UEFA Threat

Calls to replace president of the Football Federation of Ukraine (FFU), Hrigory Surkis, have been dropped by officials of the governing body who confirmed the news to UEFA on Wednesday 2 January.

The confirmation comes after UEFA had given Ukraine until this Friday to resolve the situation after receiving documents showing that some state and regional authorities were allegedly putting pressure on FFU officials. Soccer’s European governing body had stated that Ukraine could be suspended from international football, and its co-hosting rights with Poland for Euro 2012 could be withdrawn, if immediate actions are not taken to curtail political interference in the running of the Football Federation of Ukraine (FFU).

Serhiy Storozhenko, a senior FFU official who had led the rebellion against Surkis, told Reuters: “A decision has been made to withdraw the demands”. A letter signed by 11 members of the FFU’s executive committee stated: “We are withdrawing the written demands…for the holding of an emergency congress and we will not demand a replacement of the management of the FFU before the end of Euro 2012 and before the end of the term of the FFU’s president.”

President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovich told the Polish media: “I assure you that the state authorities are not mounting political pressure on the FFU. In the past year, we have caught up on delays in preparations for the Championship and I do not want Ukraine to be deprived of the right to organise Euro 2012.”

He added: “We can resolve the conflict in the FFU by postponing discussions on its internal problems until next year.”