Ukrainian football association president arrested on suspected embezzlement charges

The Ukrainian football association president Andriy Pavelko has been arrested on suspected embezzlement charges.

According to his lawyer, Andriy Pavelko, the president of the Ukrainian football association was arrested today, Tuesday, November 29, on suspected embezzlement charges, as reported by the AFP news agency.

It is believed he stands accused of the misuse of funds belonging to the organisation. The money was allegedly used to construct an artificial football pitch factory.

Denys Bugay, the president’s lawyer, told AFP: “The bail has already been paid. We hope that Pavelko will return to his office in the next few hours”. His bail is thought to have been in the region of 9.9 million hryvnias (€261,026). If convicted, the president could face a prison sentence of up to 12 years.

Today’s arrest was the result of a three-year investigation into Pavelko’s activities. He took over in 2015 as the head of Ukraine’s football association. His lawyers said they are preparing to contest any decision that the court might pass but Bugay assured that they will cooperate fully with any subsequent investigation.

Last month, as a mark of solidarity against Vladimir Putin’s invasion of the country, the football authorities of Portugal and Spain added Ukraine to their bid to host the 2030 World Cup. This was a move that Pavelko described as ‘uniting’ football, as reported by insiderpaper.com.

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