{
  "id": 2405215,
  "title": "Former Ukraine coach Serhiy Rebrov apologizes for playing padel with ex-Russia national team player Vasily Berezutsky",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/former-ukraine-coach-serhiy-rebrov-apologizes-for-playing-padel-with",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-21T16:45:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Meduza (English)",
    "slug": "meduza-english",
    "url": "https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/08/21/former-ukraine-coach-serhiy-rebrov-apologizes-for-playing-padel-with-ex-russia-national-team-player-vasily-berezutsky"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former Ukraine football coach Serhiy Rebrov expressed regret on Instagram for playing padel with former Russian national team player Vasily Berezutsky. The video of their doubles match in Marbella, Spain, circulated on Ukrainian social media recently. Rebrov acknowledged that while he knew Berezutsky opposed the war, he was unaware of his recent coaching role in Russia. He apologized to Ukrainians who may have been offended by his actions, assuring them that his support for Ukraine remained unwavering. Rebrov served as Ukraine's national team coach from 2023 to 2026, stepping down after the team failed to qualify for the World Cup. He currently holds a vice president position in the Ukrainian Association of Football. Berezutsky, once a prominent player for CSKA Moscow and the Russian national team, publicly opposed the war in 2022. Following CSKA's firing of his brother Alexei, Berezutsky relocated to Spain. He briefly coached the Russian club Ural in 2025 before being dismissed due to the team's failure to win promotion from the First League to the Premier League.",
  "summary": "Serhiy Rebrov, the former head coach of Ukraine’s national football team, apologized on Instagram for playing padel with Vasily Berezutsky, a former player for the Russian national team.",
  "key_points": [
    "Serhiy Rebrov, former Ukraine coach, apologized on Instagram.",
    "Rebrov played padel with Vasily Berezutsky, ex-Russia national.",
    "Rebrov unaware of Berezutsky's recent Russia coaching role."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}