Former Ukraine captain Tymoshchuk faces possible ban over silence on Russia

A Ukrainian Football Association (UAF) ethics panel wants to strip the former national captain Anatoliy Tymoshchuk of his coaching licence and state awards because of his public silence on Russia’s invasion and his continued work with Russia’s Zenit Saint Petersburg.

Tymoshchuk, 42, is Ukraine’s most-capped player having made 144 appearances between 2000-2016. He won league titles with Shakhtar Donetsk and Zenit and the treble with Bayern Munich in 2013. He is an assistant coach with Zenit. Neither he nor the club immediately responded to requests for comment.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to sanctions across global sport. Several Ukrainian athletes have decried the war and voiced their support for their armed forces.

“Since the beginning of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, Tymoshchuk ... not only did not make any public statements in this regard, but also did not stop his cooperation with the club of the aggressor,” the UAF ethics and fair play committee said in a statement.

“At a time when another former club, Bayern Munich, publishes statements and holds actions in support of Ukraine, Tymoshchuk continues to remain silent.”

It proposed to the UAF that he be stripped of his coaching licence. It also wants to strip Tymoshchuk of his league and cup win medals in Ukraine and exclude him from the official register of national team players.