"We had an agreement with the Lviv city council and Mayor Sadovyj whereby, following the modernization of the stadium by Karpaty FC, the infrastructure around the stadium will be leased to the club. We have met our obligations, while the other party failed, plunging in libelous and brazen declarations, Yefremov stressed.

“Karpaty FC has honored all its earlier agreements with the city authorities. We got the first signal of the city authorities’ insincere ways when an architectural design of adjacent territory was prepared. We proposed building two hotels on this land, one for sportsmen and the other for tourists. The officials told us that building two hotels would be inappropriate. Now they propose to build three new hotels on the same site!” Karpaty FC general director says.

At present, Oleksandr Yefremov adds, there is no dialog with the city authorities. “I think, nothing good will come out of this standoff. We are forced to take the case of the Ukrayina complex and our agreements with the authorities to court. We have no other option. We are compelled by the city authorities to take such steps,” Yefremov explained.

In protest against the arbitrary moves by the city administration Karpaty FC will cancel its home matches on the Ukrayina stadium.

“We will be obliged to look for alternative venues and official support from those who are aware of the problems facing professional football. We are not going to kowtow to those who do not realize the social importance of football for ordinary Ukrainians and for Lviv oblast. I am convinced that we’ll be supported by the oblast community because our project is aimed to reach out to the grassroots.

I have regarded Andrij Sadovyj as a decent man. Decent men, however, always keep their word,” Oleksandr Yefremov summed up.