Oleksandr Zinchenko calls for ALL Russian and Belarusian athletes to be banned from top level sport during interview with Piers Morgan… as Arsenal star insists he ‘would fight for Ukraine’
- The Arsenal full-back revealed all during an interview with the TalkTV host
- Zinchenko spoke passionately about the invasion of his homeland Ukraine
- He said he ‘doesn’t accept’ the reaction from Russian and Belarusian athletes
OIeksandr Zinchenko has called for Russian and Belarusian athletes to be banned from top level sport in a recent interview.
Ever since the invasion on Ukraine in February 2022, the Arsenal star has used his platform to help ease the pain of his stricken countryman.
And he continued that trend by appearing in an interview with TalkTV host Piers Morgan, where he discussed his opinions on the situation.
During their conversation, the duo discussed a range of topics but Zinchenko began by explaining how he was ‘lost’ in the first few weeks of the invasion.
‘I’ll be honest, it was not easy to adapt to this. But unfortunately all of us, football players playing abroad, it’s not easy to be far away from home and watching all these scary things happen.
Oleksandr Zinchenko revealed his opinions on Russia’s invasion on Ukraine in an interview
Lifelong Arsenal fan Piers Morgan quizzed Zinchenko on how the invasion has impacted his approach to football
‘I remember quite well the first couple of weeks, I just lost my head. I didn’t know where I was, where I was driving to… it was like I was in space.’
In the weeks and months that followed Russia’s initial invasion, Zinchenko served as a beacon of support for Ukraine from within the Premier League.
Regularly waving the Ukrainian flag in the air at the end of matches or offering passionate speeches, the defender has maintained a strong support for the country.
And, while Zinchenko has remained vocal, the defender insisted that he was unhappy with the silence from Russian and Belarusian athletes.
When asked by Morgan, the Arsenal defender admitted that he wouldn’t shake the hands of athletes from those countries and called for them to be banned from sport.
He said: ‘I will never accept their reaction. I have to be honest. You can say ‘they didn’t do anything’. Yes they did, they didn’t react.
‘They have millions of followers behind them and chances to speak out. If you have 10million followers on Instagram saying ‘Stop It’, some people from that 10million will spread it. And it will work in the end. But if no one is going to speak out because they’re scared, do not call us brothers. Never again.
The Arsenal defender gave his opinion on Wimbledon’s decision to allow Russian and Belarusian players – such as Daniil Medvedev (above) – to play in the competition
The Ukrainian international admitted that he had been ‘lost’ in the weeks after the invasion
‘I am one of the Ukrainian’s which don’t like to see them in the highest level in any sport. For sure they shouldn’t be allowed to compete. Why? How many bombs and rockets have been sent from Belarus?’.
The Arsenal star was then asked whether he would join the war in Ukraine, if asked. He said: ”There will be a time everyone will be there. It will be the last call or something or whatever.
‘It will be a call. We go, all of us, we go there. Everyone will go. Of course. In the same time, I’m thinking about how I’m much more helpful from here at the moment.
‘But you never know what’s going to happen. How many people have been killed from this invasion? I don’t see myself hiding somewhere.’
Zinchenko and Andriy Shevchenko (right) pictured with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy (centre)
The defender also took the time to share a message with the rest of the world, as Ukraine continue their fight against Russia.
‘Using this opportunity to talk to you, I would like to send another message to the rest of the world. I know some people have fatigue, I know this.
‘But why? It is so important to keep going, to keep pushing, to be together, to stick together, to win this terrorist invasion.’
The defender also recently returned to Ukraine and revealed the experience with Mail Sport’s Sami Mokbel.
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