Elkhan Mammadov has commented on the incident that occurred during the draw for the FIFA 2026 World Cup European qualifiers.
FIFA has apologized to the Ukrainian Football Association (UAF) over the display of a world map that depicted Crimea as part of Russia, Idman.biz reports.
The letter to the complainant was signed by FIFA’s Director of Member Associations Relations, Elkhan Mammadov, who is also the former Secretary General and Executive Vice-President of the AFFA. The document explains the source of the error: “The infographic in question was developed by an external third-party service provider. Upon recognizing the issue, we have taken immediate steps to address the situation, including working to have the image removed from circulation. Additionally, we are conducting an internal review to ensure such oversights do not recur in the future.
We fully understand the delicate sensitivity of this matter and while the incident was unintentional, we sincerely regret any concern it may have caused and appreciate your understanding as we work to address this situation responsibly."
Ukraine was placed in the same group as Azerbaijan, Iceland, and the winner of the Croatia vs. France match in the qualifiers.
Idman.biz
