Fedorov blow for Ukraine
22 May 2006 - 17:29:58
Dynamo Kyiv defender Serhiy Fedorov has been forced to pull out of Ukraine's World Cup squad because of a hip injury.
The 31-year-old was suffering from the injury when the 23-man party was named but national coach Oleg Blokhin was optimistic he would recover in time for the Group H opener against Spain on June 14.
However Dynamo coach Anatoliy Demyanenko has now revealed the centre-back needs a three-month rest to let the problem heal.
Blokhin recently admitted he feared injuries would prevent his side playing at their best in Germany, with Andriy Shevchenko and Andriy Vorobey also struggling for fitness.