It was a strange night for European football as Europa League ties carried on as normal despite the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops.
The midweek action has been dominated by messages and gestures on the field, as Ukrainian pairing Roman Yaremchuk and Ruslan Malinovskyi used their goal celebrations for Benfica and Atalanta to condemn the breakout of war.
Fedor Smolov was the first Russian footballer to speak out against the actions of his country’s government, and all eyes were on Zenit, the team supported by Vladimir Putin.
The Russian side have a veteran Ukraine international at the back, but amid the ongoing hostility, even he was dropped from the starting line-up.
Zenit currently sit top of the Russian Premier League, and 32-year-old Yaroslav Rakitsky has been integral to their defence ever since making the move from Ukraine giants Shakhtar.
The defender played in all six Champions League group games for Zenit, and even played in the first leg against Real Betis last week, but the Ukraine international was dropped for their trip to Spain on Thursday.
It’s well known that Zenit is Putin’s team, and the club is majority-owned by Gazprom, which is conveniently owned by the Russian government.
Putin has even called Zenit out in the past for not having enough Russian players within their ranks, and it must be a rather scary time for Rakitsky as he is the only member of the squad that originates from Ukraine.
Zenit’s home stadium was meant to host this seasons Champions League final, but amid the ongoing crisis UEFA have called an emergency meeting to determine whether to change the location, and they have also been backed into a corner with their sponsors too.
Gazprom sponsor the Champions League, but due to their Russian government involvement, Schalke have dropped them as their official kit sponsor, and UEFA have been pressured to take a similar stance.
Despite Rakitsky’s vulnerable position, he spoke out on social media in support of his country, posting a picture of the Ukraine flag in support of homeland during the most difficult of times.
Source: Mirror
