Euro 2021: UEFA Asks Ukraine To Make Changes On Jersey

UEFA has asked Ukraine on Thursday to modify their Euro 2020 jerseys to remove a "political" message that triggered the Russian protests. According to European football's governing body, the statement "Glory to the Heroes," which is displayed inside the shirt and was a rallying cry during the 2014 anti-Russia riots in Ukraine, was "obviously political in nature," according to European football's governing body.

The action was welcomed by Russia, but the Ukrainian Football Association stated it was in discussion with UEFA to have the decision reversed. "Earlier, UEFA had authorized the new jersey and every part of the kit, including the motto," the Ukrainians told to AFP.

On Tuesday, Russia wrote to UEFA about the yellow jersey, which features an outline of Ukraine on the front, including Crimea, which Russia invaded in 2014.

On Instagram, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shared two photos of himself with the jersey, saying it contained "many key symbols that unite the Ukrainian people."

The map would not need to be removed or amended, according to UEFA, because a resolution passed by the United Nations General Assembly "recognizes the geographic limits is substantially reflected by the design."

"Sport is not a battlefield, rather it is a field for competition," said Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for Russia's foreign ministry.

"You will have glory if you become a sporting hero. "Do it that way, not with nationalist slogans extolling the virtues of the motherland," Zakharova wrote on Telegram.

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