Serhiy Rebrov's Apology After Padel Controversy with Vasily Berezutsky

Serhiy Rebrov has issued a public apology after a video of him playing padel with former Russia international Vasily Berezutsky ignited anger on Ukrainian social media.

The clip, filmed in Marbella, Spain, showed the pair as doubles partners and spread rapidly online in recent days. The exact date of the recording remains unknown, but the reaction in Ukraine was immediate and fierce, with many fans accusing Rebrov of crossing a moral line during wartime.

Under pressure, the former Ukraine head coach addressed the incident on Instagram.

He stressed that he knew about Berezutsky’s antiwar position but said he did not realize the former defender had recently returned to Russia to work as a coach.

“I knew about Berezutsky’s antiwar stance, but I wasn’t aware that he had recently gone to Russia to work as a coach — I don’t follow football in the terrorist state,” Rebrov wrote. “As a public figure, I want to apologize to the Ukrainians I offended by doing this, but I ask that no one doubt my pro-Ukrainian stance.”

The words underline how sensitive any contact with Russian football figures has become for Ukrainian public figures, especially those tied so closely to the national team.

Rebrov, a prominent figure in Ukrainian football both as a player and coach, took charge of the national side in 2023. His tenure ended in the spring of 2026, after Ukraine failed to qualify for the World Cup. He has since moved upstairs, serving as a vice president of the Ukrainian Association of Football.

Berezutsky, meanwhile, carries his own complex profile.

A stalwart of CSKA Moscow and the Russian national team during the 2010s, he was among the very few Russian athletes to speak out publicly on February 24, 2022, posting the message “No to war” on social media. At that time, he worked on CSKA’s coaching staff under his twin brother, Alexei.

That chapter closed in the summer of 2022 when CSKA dismissed Alexei as head coach, prompting Vasily to relocate to Spain. The move did not end his ties to Russian football. In December 2025, he accepted the role of head coach at Ural, a club in Russia’s First League. The stint was short-lived: he left at the end of the season after Ural failed to secure promotion to the Russian Premier League.

The padel court in Marbella might have felt a world away from geopolitics. For Rebrov, it has proved anything but. In today’s climate, even a casual game can turn into a test of loyalty.