Yuriy Korotun: "The match should be replayed according to sporting principles. The stadium was ready, but a situation arose that no one could influence"

What caused the power outage at the "Central" stadium in Zhytomyr during the match between "Metalist 1925" and "Veres", why the teams did not finish the game, and what its further fate is — Vice President of "Metalist 1925" Yuriy Korotun told on "UPL TV" broadcast:

— Please tell us, we saw you just spoke with representatives of "Veres" under the stands, including with Ivan Nadein. You handed him the phone, he spoke with the president of "Metalist 1925" Bohdan Boyko. What is the essence of the situation?

— The essence has not changed since the fifteenth minute of the match. Our wishes were the same: we must finish this match according to sports principles. Many factors coincided on this day. I even gave an example to my colleagues from "Veres": the "Setanta Sports" channel could not finish the last round of Formula-1 because their equipment burned out due to a sharp voltage spike up to 360 volts.

Today we also became hostages of the situation. For example, in Kyiv, I have been without electricity for 12 hours straight — these are the realities we all live in. The problem is not that "Polissya" or the stadium of the Zhytomyr Regional Council did not provide us with proper conditions. The problem is that the equipment malfunctioned due to voltage spikes. We did not refuse to play or prepare. We have a great team that arrives at the "Polissya" stadium a day before the match and conducts training. We were fully prepared, checked the generators, but they burned out. We are ready to provide all documents — this is indeed force majeure. And this is the fourth year of war: there are circumstances that cannot be foreseen in advance.

There are moments that no one can predict. For example, if a house catches fire because the iron burned out due to a voltage spike. This is what I wanted to convey to the leadership of "Veres". We suggested playing the match tomorrow. We were ready to take on all financial aspects: leave both teams here and finish the match the next day. We even agreed on this with the "Polissya" stadium. But we did not find a common solution — "Veres" is returning home.

We really want and will appeal to the CDC to consider this situation not as a precedent, so that in the future no one would use the electricity problem as a reason to delay matches. And so that everyone understands at the same time: not all risks can be foreseen. We cannot predict a massive shelling of Ukraine. We cannot guarantee that some equipment at the stadium will not burn out at a certain moment. We must try to be prepared for everything, but there are things that are beyond our control.

During the match today, the stadium electricians were changing the switches in the process, but the system still malfunctioned. We talked a lot during the first 15 minutes, but negotiations dragged on for an hour and a half. We spoke with all parties: we were the first ones who wanted to hold this match. But the realities are what they are. We strive to fulfill our obligations at the highest level.

I'm not saying that we are playing at someone else's stadium — we are playing at our own and take responsibility. We have no claims against "Polissya" or our team. The match must be finished according to sports principles. The stadium was ready, but a situation arose that no one could influence — the equipment burned out. Let's consider this and prioritize sportsmanship. This is what we discussed with the leadership of "Veres" and we really hope for their logical decision.

— What decision would be acceptable to you and when can we expect it?

— We have talked to the UPL and understand that if we did not reach an agreement with "Veres", the decision will now be made at the CDC level. We are preparing all the documents, arguments, and requests for the match to be finished.

— According to preliminary forecasts — is it already spring?

— If it is decided so, we will finish in the spring.