Zenit boss: ‘Hard to say’ if Ukraine international Yarsolav Rakitsky will play for the club again

Zenit St Petersburg head coach Sergei Semak admits ‘it’s hard to say’ whether Ukraine international Yaroslav Rakitskiy will ever play for the club again. 

Russia have been hit by economic sanctions by countries across the globe following its decision to invade Rakitskiy’s home country – a move that has been almost unilaterally condemned. 

Last night, Ukraine’s president accused Russia of war crimes after president Vladimir Putin’s forces launched what were believed to be cluster and vacuum bomb attacks on the fifth day of their invasion.

There has been an outpouring of support within the sporting world, with Premier League players Oleksandr Zinchenko and Vitaliy Mykolenko both reduced to tears during Manchester City’s clash with Everton. 

The sporting world has come down heavy on Russia, and in football, UEFA and FIFA have announced that all Russian affiliated sides have been banned from club and international competitions until further notice. 

That has not stopped the countries domestic season from continuing, with Zenit winning out 3-2 against Rubin Kazan in the Russian top flight on Monday afternoon.

Rakitskiy was absent from the Zenit squad, with his manager revealing he had been granted time off due to the invasion of his homeland.

In 2019, he was actually dropped by the national team due to the controversy surrounding his decision to joing th Russian side. 

Sergei Semak says it is ‘hard to say’ if the 32-year-old will ever play for the Russian club again

His decision to move to the side, who are sponsored by state-run gas company Gazprom, was made all the more difficult by his affiliation with former club Shakhtar Donetsk.

The club lies in the heart of the Donbass region , one of the areas on the Ukraine-Russia border that has been at the heart of the conflice between the two countries.

And speaking candidly, Semak admitted it is not clear if the 32-year-old, who has just three months left on his contract, will play for the club again.

Speaking after his side’s victory, Semak said: ‘The atmosphere not only inside the club, but in the country is such that any person is worried and takes what is happening to heart. 

‘Yaroslav asked for a couple of days off to resolve his personal issues. Tomorrow he should be in training. 

Support for Ukraine has been shown across sport and football, including the Premier League 

FIFA have thrown Russia out of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as part of sanctions

‘It’s hard for me to say whether he will play Rakitskiy for Zenit. His contract is valid for three months. 

‘Each person makes his own decisions. He asked for the weekend, what will happen next? I don’t know.’

Ukraine icon and former Barcelona midfielder Anatoly Tymoshchuk is part of Semak’s backroom staff at Zenit. He too was missing from the bench on Monday.

However, Semak insisted this was purely down to ill health. 

‘Tolya [Tymoshchuk] drove to the base during the day, but then he got a sore throat and we decided to save him,’ he said. 

UEFA have announced that no Russian sides will be allowed to compete in European competitions until further notice on Monday.

Zenit had been competing in the Champions League and Europa League this season.

Ukraine icon Anatoly Tymoshchuk was also absent from the bench as Zenit faced Rubin Kazan

Smoke rises over Kyiv on Monday morning as the city awoke from a night of heavy Russian bombardment to relative calm, though there are fears that Moscow’s troops could quickly step up their attacks

After finishing third in a Champions League group that included Chelsea and Juventus, Semak’s side were knocked out of the Europa League by Real Betis last week. 

The only Russian side left in competitions were Spartak Moscow, who have now been kicked out of the Champions League. 

Russia will now no longer be able to participate in the World Cup play-offs, due to take place later this month.