Ukraine’s envoy to Turkey on Thursday expressed “sadness” over a chant of “Vladimir Putin” that rang out at a Champions League qualifying round football match in Istanbul involving Dynamo Kyiv.Images on social media showed a section of Fenerbahce’s packed stadium singing the Russian president’s name in response to Dynamo’s first goal against the Istanbul side on Wednesday.The Ukrainians won the match 2-1 after drawing 0-0 in the home leg played in Poland because of Russia’s invasion. They now progress to the third round of qualifying while Fenerbahce are knocked out.Fenerbahçe fans chanting “Vladimir Putin” after a Dynamo Kyiv player celebrated scoring in this #UCL qualifier.Absolutely tasteless 👎 pic.twitter.com/NocU0MTpbk— Nico Cantor (@Nicocantor1) July 27, 2022 “It is very sad to hear the words of support from Fenerbahce’s fans for a Russian murderer and aggressor who bombed our country,” Ukraine’s ambassador Vasyl Bodnar tweeted.Fenerbahce said their fans’ behaviour “does not represent the stance and values of our club”. But the club also argued that the chant “lasted only 20 seconds” and issued no formal apology. “We condemn both our country and our club being implicated on this issue,” Fenerbahce said in a statement.Europe’s football governing body UEFA said it was appointing an ethics and disciplinary investigator to look into “alleged misbehaviour” by the Istanbul fans.##NAJAVA_MECA_6531816##Putin’s name is associated in Kyiv with both the five-month invasion and a Kremlin-backed separatist conflict that has claimed more than 14,000 lives in Ukraine’s southeast since 2014.Putin now questions the Ukrainian nation’s right to exist and brands its leaders as “Nazis” who must be deposed.Dynamo’s irate Romanian coach Mircea Lucescu refused to attend the mandatory post-match press conference in protest at the chant.”I did not expect such a chant,” he said in a statement released to Turkish media. “It is a pity.”Lucescu has NOT attended the post match press conference following Dynamo’s win v Fenerbahce in Istanbul The reasoning is allegedly in response to the putin chant that the Fenerbahce fans made during the game pic.twitter.com/uio082pwFS— Zorya Londonsk (@ZoryaLondonsk) July 27, 2022 Turkey is generally popular among many Ukrainians because of its military support for Kyiv’s Western-backed government.© Agence France-Presse
