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Ukraine Relocates Football Matches After Odessa Deaths

More than 40 were killed on May 2 as a result of clashes between separatists and Metalist and Chornomorets fans in Odessa. FC Metalist / Facebook

Ukraine Premier League matches and the Cup final are being relocated from the country's eastern cities and Crimea peninsula for security reasons due to political unrest inflamed by armed separatists.

Dynamo will play an away game against Illichevets in Kiev instead of in their rivals' home town of Mariupol and the capital has also officially been confirmed to hold the match between Sevastopol and Metalist Kharkiv.

Sevastopol city authorities in the Crimean peninsula, annexed by Russia in March, canceled the match on their territory due to the unstable political situation.

Kharkiv city officially asked the Ukrainian Football Federation, or FFU, to move the Ukraine Cup final, scheduled for May 15, to another city due to a high risk of violent clashes.

"Safety of supporters is of primary importance for us. Having received the letter from the police force, the Football Federation of Ukraine is calling for a meeting to reconsider venue options for the Cup final," FFU spokesman Pavlo Ternovy was quoted as saying in local media.

Police in Luhansk asked FC Zarja to find an away venue for their game against league leaders Shakhtar Donetsk with pro-Russian separatists causing unrest in the eastern city.

More than 40 were killed on May 2 as a result of clashes between separatists and Metalist and Chornomorets fans in Odessa.

See also:

Ukrainian Football Celebrations Ended in Odessa Deaths

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