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KYIV (Reuters) - Kateryna Monzul made history in 2016 when she became the first female referee in Ukraine to officiate a soccer match in the mens top division, a game between Chornomorets Odesa against Volyn Lutsk.

Despite the mental training, when I went out on the soccer pitch and watched the teams lining up, I could hear my heart racing. I was overwhelmed with emotions, recalls Monzul.

That game was part of a journey for the 39-year-old that began with refereeing childrens and youth championships and took her all the way to refereeing the Womens World Cup Final between the United States and Japan in 2015.

Since then she became the first woman to referee Ukraines domestic cup final last year and was named the best referee in the mens division by the Ukrainian Association of Football in an otherwise male field.

Women referees at mens top flight soccer matches are rare. Frances Stephanie Frappart became the first woman to referee a major UEFA competition final in 2019 and in December she also became the first woman to referee a mens Champions League match when she officiated at the Juventus-Dynamo Kyiv game.

This week Monzul joined other women in speaking about the challenges they face and the hopes they have ahead of International Womens Day on Monday.

Monzul grew up in the eastern Kharkiv region with a soccer pitch next to her home.

I played soccer with boys. It was not popular among girls back then, but I liked it, I lived and breathed soccer, said Monzul, who played on boys teams in local tournaments.

Inspired by her uncle, who was a referee, Monzul switched to officiating.

Just like in any other job, the most important thing is to do your job professionally. Then your skills will be in demand, no matter if you are a man or a woman, Monzul told Reuters.

It is the result which matters, not gender.

To be eligible for officiating mens matches, she has to pass a mens fitness test, the toughest part for a woman, Monzul said.

She said there was no difference between refereeing a mens or womens match, except that it is a common thing for mens clubs to gift Monzul flowers.

In 2016 the team which presented me with red flowers got a red card. And since then there is a joke that it is better to give flowers after the game, not before.

Editing by Matthias Williams and Raissa Kasolowsky

Read more:
'I could hear my heart racing': Ukrainian women referee recalls journey to the top - Reuters

KYIV (Reuters) - Analysts are divided on whether Ukraines central bank will raise its key interest rate on March 4 or hold it steady, balancing the need to restrain inflation with supporting a virus-hit economy, a Reuters poll showed on Tuesday.

FILE PHOTO: People wearing protective face masks visit the Central Universal Department Store (TsUM), on the first day after ending a coronavirus lockdown, in Kyiv, Ukraine January 25, 2021. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

Half of the 16 Ukrainian analysts see the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) holding the rate at a historic post-1991 independence low of 6.0%, to prevent a rise in borrowing costs and to support businesses.

The central bank will not raise the rate despite a significant acceleration of inflation because of the relatively weak performance in industrial production, said Hanna Cherednychenko from the First Ukrainian International Bank.

Industrial output, which started recovering in December, shrank 4.0% year-on-year in January when the government imposed a two-week nationwide lockdown against the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The economy overall contracted by more than 4% last year.

Eight analysts believe that the central bank will raise its rate: six of them expect 6.5% and two expect 6.25%.

This action would fully comply with the current strategy of the NBU on inflation targeting, said Oleksandr Pecherytsyn from Credit Agricole Bank.

Inflation jumped to 6.1% in January, above the central banks target of around 5%, and analysts see February inflation even higher at 7.2%, their median forecast showed.

Central Bank Governor Kyrylo Shevchenko told Reuters last month that the NBU was ready to raise the rate if inflationary pressures strengthened further.

Alexander Paraschiy from Concorde Capital brokerage, who forecasts the rate at 6.5%, said the central bank had to restrain growing inflationary expectations.

The National Bank is unlikely to dare to do a significant increase, but they have to give a signal to the market that they are trying to curb inflation.

Editing by Matthias Williams; editing by Barbara Lewis

Original post:
Market split on whether Ukraine will raise interest rate from 6% this week: Reuters poll - Reuters

Northern Ireland Women have been drawn against Ukraine in the play-offs for a place at Euro 2022.

Kenneth Shiels' squad won their final two Group C games to edge out Wales on head-to-head away goals and secure second place behind Norway in qualifying for the tournament.

Ukraine overtook the Republic of Ireland in their final Group I match to claim the runners-up spot behind Germany.

Friday's draw to determine the three remaining places in England next summer had initially seen Russia pulled out of the pot to face Ukraine.

However, with UEFA not allowing Russia and Ukraine to be drawn together for political reasons, the Russians, second in Group A behind defending European champions Holland, will instead face Portugal.

The final play-off tie sees the Czech Republic take on Switzerland, with the fixtures to take place over two legs from 7-13 April.

Euro 2022 will see 16 nations compete across 10 venues during July, with the final to be played at Wembley.

A depleted Northern Ireland squad were beaten 6-0 by England in a behind-closed-doors friendly at St George's Park last week, which marked Hege Riise's first game in temporary charge of the Lionesses.

Link:
Northern Ireland to face Ukraine for Euro qualification - RTE.ie

Fears turned to cheers for Northern Ireland centurion Julie Nelson and her international team-mates as the Women's Euro 2022 play-off draw unfolded.

s usual with Uefa, nothing is straightforward. Ukraine were first out of the bowl and just to add to the tension they were followed by Russia, throwing up the one pairing that under an agreement with the European governing body couldn't go ahead.

That meant the next team out would face Ukraine instead and have the advantage of playing the second leg at home - and it was a one in four chance it would be Northern Ireland.

Former German international and now Uefa's Head of Women's Football Nadine Kessler took the next ball, opened the piece of paper and announced that the luck of the draw had gone in favour of Kenny Shiels' team.

Quietly within the squad, Ukraine is the team they would have picked for themselves in the two-legged battle for a place at next summer's finals in England.

"Everyone is buzzing and delighted," revealed Nelson, as the team's WhatsApp group filled with messages. "We were all watching the draw and it was getting nervous. Thankfully it's come out well for us.

"Ukraine were one of the ones we'd have been happier with out of the other five possibilities. We were all hoping to avoid Switzerland and thankfully we did that."

As the lowest ranked team in the pot, Northern Ireland were probably the team that everyone else wanted. Northern Ireland wanted Ukraine, not based on rankings or anything on paper, but based on what has happened on the pitch in recent times.

Twice in the last three years the teams have met in friendly tournaments and although Ukraine have won both meetings, there is a strong feeling in the Northern Ireland squad that this time, when the action gets serious, they can come out on top.

In the most recent game almost exactly a year ago, Ukraine were 4-0 winners at the Pinatar Cup in Spain. Taken in the context of Shiels handing starts to teenage quintet Casey Howe, Danielle Maxwell, Caitlin McGuinness, Emma McMaster and Toni-Leigh Finnegan, who was making her debut, and that three of the goals came inside six minutes, it was a night that the manager came away from feeling positive.

The players came away with the belief that it would have been a very different game had it been a full-strength Northern Ireland team on the pitch.

"We've played Ukraine a couple of times in recent years and we know what they are about and hopefully that gives us a better chance going into the play-offs," said Nelson.

"Those were in friendly tournaments so it'll be a different level when we go to play in the play-offs."

It will be next week before Uefa announce the exact fixture dates in the window of April 7-13. It is, however, set up for another special night at Seaview for the girls if they can achieve a positive result in Ukraine first.

"Based on my own experience in the Champions League with Glasgow City, we played the away tie first because we were the higher ranked team and I think that definitely helped," said Nelson.

"If you can go there and possibly nick a goal and keep things tight defensively, it can help coming into the home game."

Belfast Telegraph

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Why Northern Ireland are delighted with Euro play-off draw against Ukraine, explains Julie Nelson - Belfast Telegraph

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Brussels, February 2021 (Source: Daily Journal)

The Ukrainian government concluded a series of agreements and held important discussions with European Union officials during Prime Minister Denys Shmyhals February 911 visit to Brussels, where he co-chaired the seventh meeting of the Ukraine-EU Association Council (UNIAN, February 13). Less progress was reached this time compared to the sixth meeting, around the same time last year, attended by Shmyhals predecessor, Oleksiy Honcharuk. This downgraded outcome stemmed partly from the fact that the coronavirus crisis had since overshadowed other developments and shifted priorities on both sides. More importantly, not much has changed in Kyivs attitude after the signing of the EU Association Agreement, including a Deep and Comprehensive Trade Area, in June 2014.

Brussels has done little to penalize Kyivs failures to meet its earlier commitments, though it continues to insist that Ukraine should accept European values and speed up rule-of-law and justice reforms in order to attain more from the EU. Kyiv, however, is seeking primarily economic benefits and political support in its confrontation with Russia, while largely ignoring those requirements from Brussels that are difficult to grasp, let alone implement, for an immature but practical ruling elite in a country suffering from decades of kleptocracy and weakened by the hybrid war waged by Moscow. As a result, neither Kyiv nor Brussels remain fully satisfied.

As on previous occasions, the EU encouraged Ukraines reform efforts and reiterated its support for Ukrainian sovereignty in the joint statement summing up the Association Council meeting. Additionally, the EU once again put the blame for the lack of progress in the implementation of the 2014 and 2015 Minsk agreements on Russia. Finally, the European side repeated its support for Ukraines territorial integrity with regard to Crimea, which, as the EU statement pointed out again, Moscow illegally annexed in 2014 (Kmu.gov.ua, February 12). This continued political backing from Brussels is crucial to Kyiv especially with regard to the Crimea problem, which Moscow flatly refuses to even acknowledge as a point for debate (TASS, February 12).

But on domestic matters, the EU had less pleasant words for the Ukrainian government, which largely ignored the concerns expressed at the Association Council meeting a year earlier. The January 28, 2020, joint statement urged Ukraine to respect ethnic minority rights and, in particular, to implement the recommendations of the Venice Commissionthe European constitutional law watchdogregarding language rights in education. This years statement repeated last years counsel on the Venice Commission requirements almost word for word. And notably, whereas last years joint statement mentioned almost in passing the need for Ukraine to continue strengthening the rule of law (Consilium.europa.eu, January 28, 2020)probably because Ukraine had scored an important achievement in that regard in 2019 by launching the anti-corruption courtthis time, the EU was more insistent and less complimentary regarding Ukraines endemic corruption. The year 2020 was notoriously marked by numerous controversial decisions taken by Ukrainian courts, as well as complaints by the independent anti-corruption bodies of pressure from President Volodymyr Zelenskyys team.

The joint statement this year pointed to the need for Ukraine to step up efforts on strengthening the rule of law and to ensure the independent and effective operation of the anti-corruption institutions as well as the need for credible integrity checks for judges. EU Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis told the European Parliament that comprehensive judiciary reform [in Ukraine] is long overdue. Dombrovskis noted that the fight against corruption continued to be a key condition for EU assistance to the country (Ec.europa.eu, February 9). Brussels did not conceal its frustration over Kyivs failure to implement its commitment to fight endemic corruption under both the EUs macro-financial assistance program and Ukraines program with the International Monetary Fund. The EU stressed the importance of bringing to justice those responsible for the large-scale fraud at PrivatbankUkraines largest bank, which was bailed out and nationalized in 2016again repeating a request from a year ago word for word. To date, none of the individuals allegedly involved have been prosecuted.

Ukraine achieved more on economic and trade matters, where much now depends on the European blocs readiness to open up its markets as well as the dexterity of its bureaucratic machinery. The EU and Ukraine agreed that it would be important this year to conclude the Common Aviation Area Agreement, which should facilitate travel. The EU postponed the signing of the agreement for several years, citing more pressing legal clashes over Gibraltar between the United Kingdom and Spain. But with the UK now out of the EU, there should be no more hurdles. A decisive achievement for Ukraine is the European sides agreement to start consultations to review trade liberalization for goods. Ukraine has been insisting on this for a long time, as the structure of its exports has changed considerably since 2014, when the current bilateral trade rules were agreed. In particular, Ukrainian agricultural exports have been far larger than metal exports over the last several years, and trade with the EU increased, while Russia lost its former significance as an export market for Ukraine. The EU also agreed to assess whether Ukraine is ready for an Agreement on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Goods, dubbed by Ukraine an industrial free-travel regime, potentially applicable to one-fifth of Ukraines exports to the EU (Ukrinform.ru, February 17).

In the years since the signing of the EU-Ukraine association deal, it became clear that it is easier to achieve shared policy goals when a common enemy, time constraints, regulations, commercial interests, and negotiating skills loom larger. But when cultural differences and divergent political values clash, interaction becomes more difficult. In this respect, Ukraine under Zelenskyy does not differ significantly from the Ukraine of his predecessors Petro Poroshenko or even Viktor Yanukovych. Progress in bilateral relations was faster when the Maidan revolution and Russian aggression compelled the Europeans to act. But since then, further movement toward closer integration slowed as the EU came to understand that despite all the positive changes in Ukraine, it will still take much time and effort to bridge the civilizational gap.

Read the rest here:
Ukraine, EU Locked in Clash of Cultures and Values - Jamestown - The Jamestown Foundation