An Armenian national team player was not disqualified after Ukraine complained about an insult.
An Armenian national mini-football player (and Russian citizen) was accused of shouting “Suckers, Ukraine” after their victory over the Ukrainian national team.
A complaint was filed against him with UEFA, but the Armenian Football Federation stood up for the player.
On January 22, the Euro 2026 Futsal Group Stage match between the Armenian and Ukrainian national futsal teams took place. The Armenians defeated their opponents 2-1. After the match, Denis Nevedrov, a player from the national youth team born in Russia who played for Armenia in 2021 and also represents the Russian club Tyumen, made an emotional statement on camera about his opponent.
The Ukrainian side believed the footballer shouted, “Suckers, Ukraine. Suckers, n****,” and filed a complaint with UEFA, accusing Nevedrov of unsportsmanlike conduct. UEFA decided to disqualify the footballer for one match.
However, the Armenian Football Federation called the accusations “baseless” and filed an appeal. They noted that Nevedrov had not insulted his opponents, but that his words had been misinterpreted. The Armenian national team stated that the player had said, “Take Ukraine. Take n****.” Ultimately, UEFA reversed the decision and overturned Nevedrov's suspension. However, the player's suspended one-year ban was retained: if the player violates the rules, he will be suspended for two matches.
