Paris Saint-Germain teammates Matvey Safonov and Ilya Zabarnyi have no personal relationship due to their nationalities, according to reports. Safonov, who has overtaken Lucas Chevalier as PSG's undisputed No. 1, is Russian, while Zabarnyi, one of the club's backup centre-backs, is Ukrainian.
The two countries have been at war since Russia invaded Ukraine more than four years ago, and the political tensions have spilled over into club football. In a recent intra-squad friendly, the two players were placed on opposite sides and, according to BILD, refused to shake hands before the game.
The players are reported to avoid being near each other in training, with the club taking steps to ensure that remains the case. They have played together 13 times for PSG since Zabarnyi joined from Bournemouth last summer. The centre-back, who left the Cherries in a £54.5 million deal, has spoken out about his relationship with Safonov this season.
"In my country, a full-scale war has been raging for four years," Zabarnyi said. "The Russians are aggressors who are trying in vain to destroy the freedom and independence of Ukraine. I do not maintain any personal relations with any Russians. I have to interact with (Safonov) on a professional level during training and fulfil my obligations to the club. But as long as the war continues, I fully support the isolation of Russian football in the world."
Safonov was later asked if he would respond, to which he replied: "I won't." The Russian is starting in goal for PSG in the Champions League final against Arsenal. Zabarnyi, meanwhile, is on the bench, with Marquinhos and Willian Pacho preferred ahead of him.
