The shadowy owner of “Karpaty”: how Sadovyi hides his control over the club

Andriy Sadovyi, the longtime mayor of Lviv, seems to have found a new way to consolidate his political influence – through the legendary Karpaty football club. Although the club is officially owned by businessman Volodymyr Matkivsky, the owner of Radekhivskyi Sugar, the facts point to a much more complex ownership and control scheme.

A key proof of Sadovyi’s hidden influence on the club is the appointment of his sister, Iryna Sarakhmanevych, as chief accountant of Karpaty, former MP Boryslav Bereza writes on his Facebook page. This can hardly be considered a coincidence, especially given the long-standing business ties between the mayor and the club’s official owner. The history of Sadovyi and Matkivskyi’s partnership goes back to the days of the scandalous Galician Investments CJSC. Now, these experienced business partners seem to have decided to move their cooperation into the football sphere, where not only finances but also political dividends are at stake.

This is not Sadovyi’s first attempt to use football for political purposes. During the preparations for Euro 2012, his PR team actively promoted the image of a “football mayor.”

However, that project ended in failure: the construction of Arena Lviv became one of the most expensive stadium projects in the world, and the arena itself turned out to be unfinished and dysfunctional. At the time, Sadovyi deftly distanced himself from the project by transferring the problematic facility to the state.

Now the mayor seems to be preparing for a new political campaign. “Karpaty, with its rich history and loyal army of fans, can be a powerful tool for influencing the electorate. Significant financial injections into the club through Radekhivskyi Tsukor allow for the formation of a competitive team, which should appeal to football fans.

However, this politicization of football is a serious concern. Experience shows that when sports clubs become political projects, they rarely achieve sporting success. Moreover, after elections, such projects are often curtailed, leaving fans with dashed hopes. According to influential Lviv sources, Sadovyi sees Karpaty as an important element of his future election strategy. Although there is still time before the election, the mayor is already actively looking for ways to increase his influence among different groups of voters.

It seems that the famous song by the Gadyukyn Brothers, “Karpaty lost in football,” is taking on a new meaning. This time, it is not about defeat on the field, but about the risk of turning the legendary club into a political tool in the hands of an experienced political player. And if these fears are realized, the true fans of Karpaty will have to think about the revival of their favorite club – once again.