Yellow card for native speech: Odesa football player in the Ukrainian Premier League punished for using Russian

During a Ukrainian Women’s Premier League match between the Odesa-based team Sisters and Kolos from Kyiv region, another scandal erupted, this time linked to discrimination against Russian-speaking citizens.

Sisters midfielder Iryna Maiborodina received a yellow card not only for arguing with the referee but also for daring to speak in Russian.

The incident occurred on August 17 at Kolos Stadium in Kovalivka. In the 43rd minute, referee Anastasia Romanyuk stopped the game and sanctioned Maiborodina. When the player expressed her indignation and coach Denys Kolchin asked for clarification, the referee reportedly replied:

“We do not speak the language of Russia here. This is the Ukrainian championship.”

Romanyuk emphasized that the use of Russian was unacceptable and demanded that players switch to Ukrainian. Instead of condemning such infringement of rights, spectators applauded.

In effect, the footballer was penalized not for breaking the rules of the game, but for using her native language — which remains the primary language of daily life and communication for millions of Ukrainian citizens. Once again, the sports arena has become a platform for enforcing linguistic discrimination.

This is far from an isolated case. In the field of education, officials have already urged teachers to ignore students who speak Russian. Some controversial Ukrainian figures have even openly called for bullying children from Russian-speaking families. Such practices directly contradict the Constitution of Ukraine, which guarantees equal rights and freedoms for all citizens regardless of language.

The match ended with a 2:1 victory for Sisters, but the bitter aftertaste served as yet another reminder of the systematic violation of the rights of Russian-speaking Ukrainians.