Martial law forces Arsenal to change location of 300 km



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The decision to move the match from the Arsenal Europa League with Vorskla Poltava to Kiev will constitute a "major drawback" for supporters and the club, according to a group of prominent supporters.

The Group E match was scheduled to take place at the Vorskla Stadion in Poltava, about 300 km east of the Ukrainian capital.

However, after the announcement of martial law in some parts of the country, the UEFA emergency committee announced Tuesday night that the match would now take place at the Olimpiyskiy stadium in Kiev.

The Ukrainian president has called for the imposition of martial law in the country due to escalating tensions with Russia, whose coastguards are accused of seizing three ships Ukrainians in Crimea Sunday.

About 500 Arsenal fans had to travel to Poltava, some of them already being affected by the last change.

John Williamson, a member of the Arsenal Independent Supporters' Association Committee, was already on hand for Thursday night's game as scheduled.

Asked about the impact of the announcement on projects, he told Press Association Sport: "Spectacularly.

"We arrived in Poltava on Tuesday with an original plan: spend four nights here and go home on Saturday.

"After going to Kiev three times before, we have just decided that, on the day of the match, we will go by train to Kiev, return to Poltava on Friday and Kharkiv on Saturday for our flight back to London."

A statement issued by UEFA on Tuesday confirmed the change of venue and said that other meetings could be at odds with political tensions in the region.

"The UEFA Emergency Committee today decided to transfer the live group match of FC Vorskla against Arsenal FC to Poltava, following the introduction of the UEFA Europa League. martial law in some parts of Ukraine.

"UEFA will continue to monitor and badess the security situation in Ukraine in the coming days before making any decision regarding the possible transfer of other matches."

It is understood that a small group of Arsenal support staff members was already in Poltava before the decision of UEFA. Williamson is dissatisfied with the handling of the situation by the governing body.

"This is a major drawback not only for the fans, but also for the team," he added.

"Having spent one night in Poltava, I do not see any problem with the match played here.

"I understand the political problems in the surrounding areas, but there is none in the city.I think UEFA has not badessed the situation and has reacted excessively."

Arsenal have already reached the last 32 places in the Europa League and will win the group with a win over Poltava in Kiev after beating the Ukrainians 4-2 at Emirates Stadium in September.

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