The UEFA Congress in Belgrade honored the memory of Russian football players, coaches, and referees who died in 2024. Among them was former Russian national football player Alexei Bugaev, who fought against Ukraine and was eliminated at the front.
This is reported by the Tribuna publication.
Bugayev ended his football career in 2010. In September 2024, he was sentenced to nine years in prison for attempting to sell drugs, and at the end of December it became known that he had died at the front.
Before the memorial service, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said: "I would like to invite you to observe a minuteʼs silence in memory of the members of the European football family who have passed away since we last met."
During the minute of silence, deceased Ukrainian football figures were also honored — Mykhailo Fomenko, Anatoliy Konkov, Volodymyr Lazarenko, and Andriy Shchepotiev.
The text accompanying the list of deceased Ukrainians stated: "UEFA and its member associations express their sincere condolences to the UAF and all those in Ukraine who have lost loved ones.”
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine please follow us on X.