Ex-Ukrainian national team coach demands Russia's return to the World Cup, as "Russia does not bend to anyone"

The former head coach of the Ukrainian national team, Andrey Nazarov, has stated with pathos that Russia does not bend to anyone, and therefore the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) should immediately return it to the World Championships. The native of Chelyabinsk spoke dismissively of the head of the organisation, Luke Tardif, whom he accused of harming the sport.

Nazarov said this in an interview with Championat.com. The former coach of Donbass and a number of Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) clubs added that the return of the Russian national team to the World Cup would allegedly "make everyone better off".

"It's time for IIHF President Luke Tardif to delve into the specifics of the Russian language, Russian culture and Russian sports. Of course, our national team needs to be returned to the world stage. Russia does not and will never bend to anyone, and the sooner the French manager realises this, the better it will be for everyone, including the entire world of hockey. I congratulate everyone on the great holiday, Russia Day. You need to love and be proud of your language and your homeland," Nazarov said.

Earlier, the legendary hockey goalkeeper Dominik Hasek visited Kyiv and Kharkiv, recording a video in Russian in support of Ukraine.

As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, the goaltender of the National Hockey League (NHL) club Florida Panthers and the Russian national hockey team, Sergei Bobrovsky, was afraid of a question about the war in Ukraine.

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