The State Duma demanded that UEFA punish Ukraine for the provocative banner at the match

On November 17, Dmitry Svishchev, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports, demanded that the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) severely punish Ukrainian fans for a provocative banner with the burning Kremlin at the 2026 World Cup qualifying match.

On the eve of the 2026 World Cup qualifying match against Iceland, Ukrainian fans hung a banner on the podium with the image of the Moscow Kremlin engulfed in flames, Gazeta reports.Ru». The poster also depicted a man in the uniform of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), who was holding red flares in his hands.

"It is absolutely necessary to punish the instigators of this provocation, the Ukrainian Football Association and the national team of Ukraine. Because UEFA and FIFA have repeatedly stated that no political slogans should appear in the stands of fans, especially such provocative ones," Svishchev said in a conversation with RIA Novosti.

The parliamentarian stressed that the UEFA representatives who attended the match were obliged to record the fact of displaying a political banner, which is a gross violation of the rules of the organization. Svishchev noted that if UEFA ignores this incident, the Russian Football Union (RFU) must take a principled position. The MP warned that inaction in such a situation would create a dangerous precedent.:

"In no case should the situation be hushed up. Because if nothing is done today, then tomorrow there will be other slogans and provocations that will be difficult to stop. Even such provocative actions should not be allowed to go down," he concluded.

In the match against Iceland, on which the banner was noticed, Ukraine won with a score of 2:0. At the end of the match, Alexander Zubkov and Alexey Gutsulyak scored goals in the 83rd and 90th+3rd minutes, respectively. Following the results of six matches, Ukraine scored 10 points and finished the tournament in second place in Group D. Now the team will play in the play-off matches.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.