Odessa Regional Military Administration Bans Football Match
After a scandal on social media, the Odessa Regional Military Administration banned the match between Odessa’s «Chornomorets» and FC «Veres» from happening with spectators present.
The game, scheduled for March 17 in Odessa, was initially planned to have a limited number of fans in the stadium, with the sailors’ management stating that 1.5 — 2 thousand people would be allowed.
However, after the publication of this information in the media and social networks, the region’s leadership stated that «during wartime, this could push the enemy to launch a missile strike on the sports infrastructure object where the match is planned to be held, precisely during the game.»
According to the deputy head of the OVA, Dmytro Radulov, the enemy has been attacking the Odessa region with various weapons lately, including ballistic missiles, the flight time of which to Odessa is about a minute.
«In such a short period of time, it is very difficult for fans to timely leave the stands and reach shelter. Even if the number of fans is small compared to the stadium’s design capacity,» Radulov pointed out.
Therefore, taking into account the circumstances and significant public resonance, the Odessa OVA demanded to cancel the existing time of the match on March 17 and set a new time, as well as to hold the game without spectators.
