Ukrainian defender Yaroslav Rakitskiy continues to face backlash from his club following his comments over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Putin's 'favourite' club continues to use Ukrainian defender as scapegoat
Russian side Zenit St. Petersburg is no closer to settling with Ukrainian defender Yaroslav Rakitskiy.
Ukrainian defender Yaroslav Rakitskiy has been facing backlash following his comments over the crisis in his homeland
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Zenit St. Petersburg reportedly dropped Rakitskiy from Thursday's Europa League clash with Real Betis after the defender comments on the crisis in his home country.
Rakitskiy might not get much sympathy in his homeland, as the 54 capped Ukrainian international controversially joined Zenit from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2019.
Zenit's manager Sergei Semak has now confessed he does not see the player having a future with the club.
Zenit boss Sergei Semak is unsure about his star defender's future at the club
AFP
"It’s hard for me to say whether he will play Rakitskiy for Zenit. His contract is valid for just three months", Semak said.
Rakitsky posted a picture of a Ukraine flag on Instagram with the caption, "I’m Ukrainian!".
It is believed this was the reason why the defender missed last week's Europa League match against Real Betis.
Rakitskiy was missing when Zenit St Petersburg crashed out of the Europa League on 3-2 aggregate
Imago
According to the Daily Mail, Zenit's decision to drop Rakitskiy was because of its relationship with energy corporation Gazprom.
Gazprom has been thrown into the conflict in Ukraine with partners across Europe cutting ties with the company
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Gazprom is partially owned by the Russian government, and President Vladimir Putin is a huge Zenit fan.
As tensions in Ukraine increased, sanctions and measures taken against Russia have affected Gazprom and Putin's beloved Zenit.
UEFA and German outfit Schalke 04 have both cut their ties with Gazprom, with the European body set to lose £66m in sponsorship.
UEFA also removed St. Petersburg's stadium as hosts of this season's Champions League final in favour of Paris.
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