West Ham forward Andriy Yarmolenko has revealed his bust-up with former Ukraine teammate Anatoliy Tymoshchuk.
The 32-year-old was left furious with Tymoshchuk after he refused to publicly condemn Russia’s invasion of his home country in Ukraine. He has also been widely criticised for continuing his role as assistant coach at Russian top flight club Zenit St Petersburg.
This was something Yarmolenko was keen to address with a man he spent seven years playing alongside for the national team.
Speaking to Zorya Londonsk, he said: “I asked him (Tymoshchuk) ‘how do you sleep at night?’ He replied ‘I don’t sleep’.
“Then he called me. I told him ‘you used to be a role model for me, now you’re nothing’. Then he told me to ‘f*** off’ and I told him the same and that’s that.”
Former Ukraine captain and manager Andriy Shevchenko was also quizzed about his thoughts around Tymoshchuk’s controversial stance.
But he was not willing to condemn the Zenit coach like compatriot Yarmolenko, with the ex-Chelsea and AC Milan striker simply responding: “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Last month, the Ukraine Football Association called on Tymoshchuk to be stripped of his honorary titles as punishment for his ‘silence’ on Russia.
Former Bayern Munich player Tymoshchuk represented Ukraine’s national team a record 144 times.
But a statement from the Ukrainian FA said: “Since the beginning of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, Tymoshchuk AA, the former captain of the Ukrainian national team, not only did not make any public statements in this regard, but also did not stop his cooperation with the club of the aggressor.
“At a time when another club, FC Bayern Munich, publishes statements and holds actions in support of Ukraine, Tymoshchuk AA continues to remain silent and work for the club of the aggressor.
“By making this conscious choice, AA Tymoshchuk damages the image of Ukrainian football and violates the Code of Ethics and Fair Play UAF.”
