Ukraine asked to remove 'political slogan' from Euro 2020 jersey following Russia outrage

European football governing body UEFA recently told Ukraine to remove the slogan from their Euro 2020 jersey. Ukraine’s new national shirt had sparked outrage in Russia due to a map displayed on the front of the shirt and a slogan that read, “Glory to the heroes”. Moscow’s MPs protested against the jersey and deemed it “totally inappropriate” and “a political provocation”. 

According to NBC News, Russia objected to the new jersey as the map of Ukraine’s borders showed the Crimea peninsula, a region that Russia annexed in 2014. Ukraine’s kit also stirred rivalries as a slogan at the back that read “Glory to Ukraine” and another one inside the shirt - “Glory to the heroes” - had military connotations. Both the phrases are used as an official military greeting by members of the armed forces and politicians alike, and they also became popular patriotic chants in the wake of demonstrations in 2014 that saw a pro-Russian government toppled in Kyiv.

UEFA stated that a UN general assembly resolution recognises the territorial borders as broadly depicted by the design, so the map won’t have to be removed. However, the European football’s governing body added that it ordered the phrase stitched on the jersey to be changed. UEFA labelled the phrase as having “historic and militaristic significance”.

“Following further analysis, this specific combination of the two slogans is deemed to be clearly political in nature, having historic and militaristic significance,” its statement said, adding that "Glory to the heroes!" should be removed from the shirt. 

Russia calls Ukraine’s jersey ‘inappropriate’ 

Meanwhile, the shirt has been popular in Ukraine and is said to have sold out within five days of its release. Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky also shared a photo of himself wearing the new jersey on his Instagram page. “The Ukrainian national football team's new jersey is in fact not like the others,” Zelensky wrote in the caption. 

It is worth mentioning that it was Russian MP Dmitry Svishchev who described the shirt as "totally inappropriate". Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed Joma's product gives an "illusion of the impossible”. Svishchev was also quoted by news agency RIA as saying the shirt was "a political provocation" and any map of Ukraine containing Russian territory is "illegal".

(IMAGE: AP)