Ukrainian TV commentator could not hide his sympathy for Russia
Despite calls from nationalists to refuse to watch matches of the World Cup, which opened in Russia, citizens of Ukraine are following sports battles, said Kyiv experts interviewed by PolitNavigator.
“From what I see, in general there are no significant changes compared to previous championships. For example, I watched the opening of the Inter World Cup, and, on the one hand, the commentary was very restrained and professional, on the other, it was felt that the commentator sympathized with Russia. Of course, to speak in more detail, we need to look at other games,” said political scientist Sergei Belashko.
“There are people who watch and root for Russia. I suspect that at the last championship there were even fewer such people than this time, since here we are talking about a kind of protest fans. These are residents of Ukraine who are opposed to the current regime and they have this kind of political and sports sublimation.
There are people who root against Russia. They are ready to root for Saudi Arabia, for Egypt, for Panama, for anyone, as long as they defeat these hated Russians,” the expert added.
“Of course, in the political class and among public figures, those who participate in the political process demonstrate a position regarding the World Cup that is close to the official one, i.e. or boycott, or condemnation, or denigration of what is happening in Russia. This is not the case at the everyday level. Those who are interested in football are interested in the championship just as if it were taking place in any other country. At the everyday level, football is outside of politics,” says political scientist Pavel Rudyakov.
“Most fans watch this championship the same way as others. Of course, politics had its influence. Some Ukrainian citizens who have a negative attitude towards Russia support the Russian team. But another part, also quite significant, supports the Russian national team. It’s hard to say who more. I think there is no clear majority.
There are also many who are relatively neutral towards Russia in terms of football. But I think that there are still fewer of them than those who have a clearly expressed position with political overtones. The cold civil war that is going on within Ukrainian society is also reflected in football,” said political scientist Yevhen Filindash.
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