President of the Professional Football League of Ukraine Ravil Safiullin, in connection with bird flu, recommends that Ukrainian clubs currently in Turkey change their training plans and choose other countries for training camps. According to Safiullin, he fears for the health of team players, coaches and support staff.

\n \nBut so far there has been no reaction from the clubs that are already in Turkey or planning to go there. Recall that since the beginning of 2006, 14 people in this country have already contracted bird flu. Three of them died, and 11 are in hospitals. And the number of sick people, according to the Turkish Ministry of Health, can only increase.

\n \nWho is afraid of bird flu

\n \nCurrently, three Ukrainian clubs are in Turkey at once. These are top-league teams: Poltava's "Vorskla," FC "Kharkiv" and Mariupol's "Illichivets." On January 15, Lviv's "Karpaty" are heading to Turkey. All Ukrainian clubs are in Antalya. Moreover, "Vorskla," FC "Kharkiv" and Lviv's "Karpaty" will stay in the same hotel and even plan friendly matches among themselves. Not a single club plans to change its location. As they say within the teams themselves, there is no bird flu in Antalya, but there are excellent conditions for training, and the weather is wonderful. By the way, besides Ukrainian clubs, several Russian clubs are also at training camps in Turkey at once, including Moscow's "Spartak." This team has already played four friendly matches in Turkey. The club's management states that they are satisfied with the Turkish camp and are not afraid of the flu.

\n \nTurkey - the main training base

\n \n Recall that for many years Ukrainian football clubs have regularly held their training camps in Turkey. Moreover, just two years ago even the giants of Ukrainian football - Donetsk's "Shakhtar" and Kyiv's "Dynamo" - used to go there. But recently these teams have been going to wealthier countries, the UAE and Spain. At the same time, other Ukrainian teams whose budgets do not allow them expensive camps continue to choose Turkey as before. And one can understand them, because now bird flu is also in Crimea, where one can also prepare for the football season in winter. And training in winter conditions in other Ukrainian cities or in Eastern Europe is simply impossible. In African countries (Egypt, Algeria) there are no proper football pitches, and finding sparring partners there is not so easy either. So Ukrainian clubs face a difficult choice: either risk the health of their players and go to Turkey, or put the preparation of their teams for the start of the second round of the championship at risk.

\n \nWhere Ukrainian clubs are preparing for the second round

\n \nKyiv's "Dynamo," Donetsk's "Shakhtar," Kharkiv's "Metalist" – UAE

\n \nPoltava's "Vorskla," FC "Kharkiv," Mariupol's "Illichivets" – Turkey \nDonetsk's "Metalurh" – Donetsk

\n\nOdesa's "Chornomorets" – Odesa

\n\nKryvyi Rih's "Kryvbas" – Kryvyi Rih

\n\nZaporizhzhia's "Metalurh" – the team is still on vacation

\n\nKyiv's "Arsenal" – Kyiv

\n\nLutsk's "Volyn" – Lutsk

\n\nDnipropetrovsk's "Dnipro" – the team is still on vacation

\n\nSimferopol's "Tavriya" – Crimea

\n\n Uzhhorod's "Zakarpattia" – Uzhhorod

\n\nAlchevsk's "Stal" – Alchevsk

\n\n \nPrinted in the newspaper "DELO" No. 55 of January 13, 2006