On July 24, Slovak law enforcement detained in Bratislava Andriy Pavелко, the former president of the Ukrainian Football Association (UFA) — a person who for more than nine years essentially controlled all organized football in the country. Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko confirmed the detention and reported that the Office of the Prosecutor General has already sent a request to the competent authorities of Slovakia regarding Pavелko's temporary arrest and extradition to Ukraine.
The Scheme: Tea, Coffee and Non-Existent Seafood
According to the investigation, Pavелko organized the withdrawal of almost 295 million hryvnias from the budget of the Football Federation of Ukraine and its regional branches through controlled commercial structures. The mechanism was simple: fictitious contracts were concluded for the supply of seafood, elite varieties of tea, coffee and electrical equipment. The goods existed only on paper — the money left the federation entirely.
The investigation's conclusions were confirmed by independent audit company "Crow Ukraine," which the UFA itself engaged for verification. Separately, Pavелko is charged with unlawful possession of 9.3 million euros received from UEFA through offshore schemes — these losses, according to the investigation, accumulated in 2015–2016.
"He evaded Ukrainian justice for years. But international search and effective cooperation with foreign partners produced results"
— Ruslan Kravchenko, Prosecutor General of Ukraine
How He Left — and Why So Long
The first suspicion against Pavелko was announced back in November 2022 — following an investigation by Bihus.info into embezzlement in the construction of football pitches. He spent more than 259 days in custody in 2023–2024. When the court changed the preventive measure to house arrest, Pavелko left Ukraine — according to journalist Kostiantyn Andriyuk, the basis for crossing the border was a forged disability certificate.
In December 2025, the SBU officially announced him as wanted. Since November 2025, he has been listed in the registry of persons evading pre-trial investigation authorities. Bratislava became the final point of nearly a year of hiding.
Who is Pavелko
- Headed the FFU / UFA from March 2015 to January 2024
- Member of Parliament of the Verkhovna Rada of the VII and VIII convocations from the Petro Poroshenko Bloc (2014–2019)
- Member of the UEFA Executive Committee — which gave access to the distribution of international funds
Pavელko is not the only figure in the case: previously, the general secretary of the UFA was sent into custody for 60 days. This suggests that the investigation views the scheme as systemic rather than individual.
Currently, Pavელko is under temporary arrest in Slovakia. Extradition depends on Slovak courts — the procedure could take from several weeks to several months. If Bratislava satisfies the request, Pavელko will face a Ukrainian court with a suspicion that he failed to receive personally: he left the country before it could be served again. Whether the evidence collected will be sufficient for a guilty verdict will only become clear after the case reaches trial on the merits, rather than stopping at the stage of preventive measure motions.
