Artem Stiyanov: "The new format of the Cup motivates people in regions to invest in football"

First vice-president of the Ukrainian Football Association, Artem Stiyanov, commented on the first season of the tournament in its revised format after conducting the draw for the 1/2 final of the Ukrainian Cup. - Has involving a large number of amateur teams in the Ukrainian Cup lived up to expectations? - This round of the tournament featured teams from almost all regions of Ukraine.

Artem Stiyanov: "The new format of the Cup motivates people in regions to invest in football"

Foto: Dan Balashov

The first vice-president of the Ukrainian Football Association, Artem Stiyanov, after conducting the draw for the 1/2 final of the Ukrainian Cup, commented on the first season of this tournament in its updated format.

- Has involving a large number of amateur teams in the Ukrainian Cup proved successful?

- In this edition of the tournament, teams from almost all regions of Ukraine were represented. Amateurs and PFL teams gained an incredible experience and a new audience. Such a format motivates people in regions to invest in football and promotes the development of mass football. Thanks to this reform, interest has grown in internal regional competitions in many areas as they now offer a chance to play in the national cup. In the next edition of the tournament, we will see new teams again. This was our goal: popularization and involving regions.

- Which city will host this year's Ukrainian Cup final?

- We will officially announce the city and stadium soon. For now, we are keeping the suspense. Only yesterday did we learn about the fourth semi-finalist. When choosing a stadium for the final, we take into account the geography of teams that can play in it. We also consider other factors, primarily safety and comfort for fans. It's not easy to plan the next day in Ukraine now, let alone May. But there are already some progress and soon the Executive Committee of UAF will consider and adopt the final decision.