Tsygankov refused to go on the field for Girona

The 2026/27 season in Spain's second strongest division began for Girona with a high-profile internal scandal. The Ukrainian winger of the team, Viktor Tsygankov, categorically refused to come on as a substitute in the opening match of the championship against Leganes. The Catalan club, which was relegated from Primera last season, experienced a change in the coaching staff: instead of Michel, the team was headed by 50-year-old Quique Alvarez. It was he who informed the press about an unprecedented situation with one of the team leaders. "Tsyhankov was fine, he was in the application, but he didn't want to change his clothes to play. He stayed in the box, watching the match. I don't remember such an attitude from a professional football player," Alvarez said indignantly after the game. In the new season, the representation of Ukraine in Girona expanded. Viktor Tsygankov, forward Vladyslav Vanat, and goalkeeper Vladyslav Krapyvtsov were joined in June by another attacker, Oleksandr Pyshtur. The forward and the goalkeeper spent the entire 90 minutes on the bench (in the case of Tsygankov, due to an outright refusal to play). Oleksandr Pyshtur did not get into the application for the starting match at all. The match itself was extremely difficult for the Catalans. Leganes opened the scoring first thanks to a well-placed strike by striker Naim Garcia. Girona were on the verge of starting their season in Segunda with a defeat, but Abel Ruiz's 90th-minute goal rescued the team. Thanks to this draw (1:1), according to the results of the first round, "Girona" occupies the sixth place in the tournament table. Quique Alvarez's team will play their next match against Cordoba. The game will take place this Friday, August 21, at 22:00 Kyiv time. Whether Tsygankov will be in the application for the next round after his demarche remains an open question