The Players From The Romanian Club Refused To Shake Hands With The Players From "ML Vitebsk"

• 9.07.2026, 10:39

A pre-match gesture ahead of the Champions League match.

ML Vitebsk’s debut in the Champions League qualifiers was memorable not only for its crushing 1–4 loss to Romania’s Universitatea, but also for a political gesture made before the opening whistle.

As noted by “Tribuna”, several players from the Romanian team refused to participate in the traditional pre-match greeting and did not applaud the players from the Belarusian club.

Caught on camera were Georgian player Anzor Mekhvabishvili and Portuguese player Samuel Teles. Earlier, Oleksandr Romanchuk, a Ukrainian defender for “Universitatea,” had publicly stated his firm intention not to greet the Belarusians.