Zenit St. Petersburg’s assistant coach, Anatoly Tymoshchuk, has not yet distanced himself from the Russian war of aggression. Photo: Bernd Thissen/dpa/archive image. (Source: dpa)
Kyiv (AP) – Because it has not yet condemned the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Football Association is threatening former Bundesliga professional Anatoly Tymoshchuk with the withdrawal of his coaching license and honors.
“At the time, while another ex-club of the Ukrainian, FC Bayern Munich, publishes statements and carries out actions in support of Ukraine, Tymoshchuk remains silent and continues to work for the aggressor’s club,” said the federation’s ethics committee. The 42-year-old is currently the assistant coach of Russian champions Zenit St. Petersburg from the hometown of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin.
The ex-captain should also be removed from the official register of national soccer players, the commission demanded. With 144 appearances in the blue and yellow jersey, Tymoschtschuk is the record national player. All titles at Ukrainian tournaments should also be revoked.
Tymoshtschuk, who comes from Lutsk in western Ukraine, had played for the Donetsk club Shakhtar for a long time and moved to Munich in 2009 for four years. After a stint at Zenit St. Petersburg, he completed his playing career in Kazakhstan in 2016 at Quairat Almaty. He has been an assistant coach at Zenit since 2017.
The footballer has not spoken publicly since the war began on February 24. The most recent social media posts are from January and revolve around a bike ride in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.