Ukrainian Foreign Ministry calls on Spain to respond to incident with Zozulya

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Kateryna Zelenko said this in a comment due to insults made towards Zozulya.

"We strongly condemn the manifestations of intolerance and verbal assaults towards Ukrainian footballer Roman Zozulya during a match between Rayo Vallecano and Albacete," Zelenko said.

The ministry expressed sincere support for Zozulya and expressed hope that football as a universal language for fans around the world would remain an important tool for strengthening peace, tolerance and understanding.

"We call on the Spanish authorities and the leadership of the Royal Spanish Football Federation to respond appropriately to the incident with Roman Zozulya in order to prevent such unacceptable behavior in the future," Zelenko said.

A Spanish Segunda match between Rayo Vallecano and Albacete on December 15 was abandoned at half-time due to insults made towards Albacete forward Roman Zozulya. Rayo Vallecano fans chanted that Zozulya was a Nazi.

President of the Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF) Andriy Pavelko said that insults made towards the Ukrainian footballer should be the subject of a careful investigation by the Spanish police.

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