During a football match between Rukh and LNZ clubs, which took place on February 22 at Arena Lviv stadium, security did not allow fans with posters in support of the Azov regiment prisoners into the stands.
The situation was explained by Serhii Kovalevych, who is responsible for organizing and holding matches at the arena, in a comment to Sport.ua.
According to eyewitnesses, similar incidents have occurred before - in particular, in October 2024 during the match between Shakhtar Donetsk and LNZ Cherkasy.
The official representative of the stadium administration, Serhii Kovalevych, explained that the decision to allow fans with certain banners is made by the clubs that hold home matches at the arena. At the same time, the official emphasized the existence of clear rules of conduct at the stadium.
"We all remember the match between the national teams of Ukraine and San Marino at the Arena-Lviv in 2013. Bandera and Shukhevych are our heroes, but according to UEFA recommendations, they are banned figures. Our stadium received a five-year disqualification, and the UAF received a large fine," Kovalevych recalled.
According to a stadium representative, in the latter case, the problem was not in the content of the banners, but in the material from which they were made. According to the rules, it is forbidden to bring flammable materials into the stadium.
"In this case, we did not allow the banners not because of the content, but because of the material on which the inscription was made. That is why the stewards, who are guided by clear instructions, reacted in this way. And the further decision is made by the club organizing the match. Believe me, we all understand and support the essence of those banners and understand how important it is to talk about it," Kovalevych noted.
He also noted that the clubs' security services do not sufficiently inform fans about the rules, in particular about the need to make banners from non-flammable materials and obtain prior approval from the match organizers.
As previously reported, pro-russian ex-MP Shurma was kicked out of the Karpaty fan section at a match in Poltava.
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