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The 2008 European Championship qualifying match between Ukraine and the Faroe Islands will take place this Saturday as planned - UEFA decided.
"UEFA representatives decided that the match between the Faroe Islands and Ukraine national teams will take place on March 24 as originally scheduled," the statement from the Ukrainian Football Federation said.
Ukrainian coach Oleg Blokhin had previously stated that the match in Toftir should be postponed until August, as the representatives of the Faroe Islands claimed that the pitch was in poor condition due to snow.
"What do I think about a possible postponement? I have long suggested moving the match to August, but the French and Italians did not agree. The weather conditions in the Faroe Islands are normal for this time of year. I would be very happy if the match were postponed. The competition must be played in suitable weather conditions," O.Blokhin said at a press conference on Wednesday.
The coach expressed his fear that he might only find out about the postponed meeting on the spot: "It may happen that we will fly to play, go out onto the pitch and the referee will tell us that playing is impossible. That would be the worst, as we would have to spend 6 hours on the plane and prepare for the match with Lithuania."
However, UEFA made the decision not to postpone the match, and the Ukrainian national team had to leave for the Faroe Islands on Friday. Oleg Blokhin's team is currently in fourth place in Group B with 6 points and on Wednesday they will face the Lithuanian national team at home.
