Soccer association reinstates Dynamo (04/28/96)

Soccer association reinstates Dynamo

KYIV - Dynamo Kyiv, Ukraine's legendary soccer team, was reinstated in the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) on April 19.

The team, suspended seven months ago from all European competitions for a three-year period for allegedly bribing a Spanish referee to fix a match back in September, will be allowed to participate in the European Cup Championships this summer.

Former Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk, who is the chairman of the board of trustees of the Dynamo Soccer Club, was instrumental in getting the UEFA to cancel its decision.

"President Kravchuk played an important role in getting the disciplinary sanctions lifted," said Viktor Medvedchuk, the club's lawyer, explaining that Mr. Kravchuk held more than 20 meetings with the administration of the UEFA, members of national soccer federations and members of the diplomatic corps before the UEFA meeting in Geneva on April 19.

"The lifting of sanctions against Dynamo is an event of great importance, both in the world of sports and in Ukraine," noted Mr. Kravchuk at a news conference after his return to Kyiv.

"During my conversations with UEFA officials, I told them that banning Dynamo from the league was perceived as a national tragedy in Ukraine," said Mr. Kravchuk, who commended the Dynamo team and its trainers on their sportsmanship in accepting the ban last year.

A delegation including Messrs. Kravchuk and Medvedchuk, as well as Dynamo Club President Hryhoriy Surkis and Ukrainian Soccer Federation President Viktor Bannikov, traveled to Geneva for the UEFA meeting.

Despite the fact that the club has been reinstated, criminal charges have not yet been dropped against the club's officials who allegedly bribed the Spanish referee with $30,000 worth of furs, reported Holos Ukrainy (Voice of Ukraine), the parliamentary newspaper.

A decision from Ukraine's Procurator General's Office, which began a criminal investigation after the club was ousted from the league, is expected in the near future.

Kyiv's Dynamo fans welcomed the UEFA decision. Valentyna Samoylova, the assistant director of sales at the 100,000-seat Republican Stadium, where Dynamo usually plays visiting teams, said that with news of the amnesty, workers at the stadium are busy sweeping the grounds, preparing for what they expect will be record crowds at Dynamo's next match on May 6, when it meets Odessa's Chornomorets.

"When Dynamo plays, the whole country comes out to watch. This is the best team in Ukraine. In many ways, it is Ukraine," said Ms. Samoylova.

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