The incident occurred on December 13. On the infographics map of Europe, where countries whose teams cannot overlap in the qualifiers were marked, the territory of Ukraine, excluding Crimea, was highlighted, as explained by the UAF, along with a letter sent to FIFA regarding this matter.
Today, the Ukrainian association published a photo of the letter from FIFA, signed by Elhan Mamedov, the head of the department for interaction with FIFA member associations.
"We confirm the receipt of your letter dated December 13, 2024, and would like to thank you for bringing this issue to our attention. We hold the concerns expressed by the Ukrainian Football Association in high regard and understand the sensitivity of this matter," the UAF quotes the response.
FIFA asserts that the infographics map, which did not include Crimea as part of Ukraine, was "developed by a third party - an external contractor providing the relevant services."
"Upon discovering the issue, we immediately took steps to resolve the situation, specifically by removing the image from circulation. Additionally, we are conducting an internal review to ensure that such errors do not occur in the future. We fully recognize the delicacy of this issue, and although the incident was unintentional, we sincerely regret any moral harm it may have caused, and we appreciate your mutual understanding as we take full responsibility in addressing this situation," Mamedov stated.