Zhytomyr's Polissya has published an official statement informing the Venezuelan Football Federation of its refusal to release 21-year-old defensive midfielder Andrusv Araujo for the national team's friendly match against Russia. The match is scheduled for November 17, 2026, and is set to take place in Krasnodar. This is reported by Sport RBC.UA, citing the Zhytomyr club's official website.
An uncompromising ban on any activities in the Russian Federation
Polissya's stance on this issue is categorical: the ban applies not only to the game against the Russian national team itself but also to any training camps, preparatory activities, and related events on the territory of Russia. Thus, even if Araujo could theoretically arrive in Krasnodar as part of the preparation, the club does not allow for such a scenario. The decision was made at the management level and conveyed to the Venezuelan Football Federation through official channels.
Permissible sparring in Bilbao and logistics conditions
At the same time, the Zhytomyr club does not object to Araujo's participation in another November sparring session for the Venezuelans — a friendly match against the Basque Country national team, which will take place on November 14 in Bilbao, Spain. However, Polissya has set a clear requirement: the logistics and subsequent route of the midfielder after the duel in Spain must completely exclude a visit to Russia. In fact, the club allows the player to perform in Spain but closes his path to the next match in Krasnodar.
Araujo at Polissya: three-year contract and debut matches
Andrusv Araujo became a Polissya player in the summer of 2026, signing a three-year agreement after his time at Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih. In the current season, the 21-year-old defensive midfielder has managed to play two matches in the UPL for the Zhytomyr team. At the international level, he has also played two matches for the Venezuelan national team — against South Korea and Trinidad and Tobago. Thus, Araujo is at the early stage of his career in both the club and the national team, and his call-ups for friendlies are part of rotation and gaining experience.
The Shakhtar precedent: not the first case in Ukrainian football
It is worth emphasizing that the Zhytomyr club is not the first to resort to such measures. Earlier, a similar tough stance was declared by Shakhtar Donetsk, which forbade its Venezuelan winger Gleyker Mendoza from traveling to a game against the Russian national team. Thus, the practice of refusing to release foreign players for matches with the RF is becoming a stable trend in Ukrainian football, where clubs with Venezuelan players on their rosters consistently block their participation in such games.
Context: November sparrings and Venezuela's position
The friendly match between the national teams of Venezuela and Russia, scheduled for November 17 in Krasnodar, remains on the calendar; however, the participation of several players performing in Ukrainian clubs is now being called into question. For the Venezuelan Football Federation, this means needing to revise the squad for the November cycle. For Araujo himself, the situation creates an additional factor of uncertainty: he can play for the national team in Bilbao on November 14, but the match in Krasnodar is off-limits to him by the club's decision.
