Hryhoriy Surkis


Hryhoriy Mykhailovych Surkis is a Ukrainian businessman who has been one of five vice-presidents of UEFA since 24 May 2013. Surkis was the president of Football Federation of Ukraine until September 2012.

Biography

Hryhoriy's father Mikhail Davydovych Surkis was a military doctor, and his mother Rimma Yanivna Surkis was a sales specialist. He has two children, daughter Svitlana and son Vyacheslav. His brother Ihor Surkis is current chairman of Dynamo Kyiv.

Education and professional career

In 1972 he finished the Kyiv Technological Institute of Food Industry with a speciality in food production machines and apparatuses.
From 1972 to 1974 he worked as a senior engineer in material-technological logistics for Holovplodvynprom of Ukraine.
From 1975 to 1988 he worked as a deputy-chief at "Kyivzhytlorembudmontazh", foreman of the SRBU#1 in Kharkiv, and chief of logistics for RBU No. 3.
Then and until 1991 he held a variety of a technical leadership positions at the Kyiv City Council such as chief engineer, chief of department, and others.
From 1991 to 1993 Surkis became the general director of "Dynamo-Atlantic". From 1993 to 1998 he was the president of the Ukrainian industrial financial concern Slavutych.

Ukrainian football/sport

When Surkis became president of the Ukrainian footballing powerhouse Dynamo Kyiv in 1993, the club was nearly bankrupt. Under his tenure, the club managed to balance its budget and rapidly improved its infrastructure, regaining the club's former international glory. From 1998 he was a member of the National [Olympic Committee of Ukraine|National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Ukraine.] In 2006, he became the vice-president of NOC of Ukraine. Surkis left the National Olympic Committee in January 2023.
He was the president of the Professional Football League of Ukraine from 1996 to 2000. In 2000, he was elected President of the Football Federation of Ukraine, later being re-elected twice, but after serving his third term he did not participate in the presidential election of September 2012, but he was named "Honorary President" in September 2012.

UEFA/FIFA

2000—2012: FIFA National Associations Committee
2004—2007: UEFA EXCO Working Group Football Development
2002—2004: UEFA Professional Football Committee
2007—2009: UEFA Futsal and Beach Soccer Committee
2009—2011: UEFA Women's Football Committee
2009—2011: UEFA Youth and Amateur Football Committee
2007—2013: UEFA Stadium and Security Committee
2011—2013: UEFA National Team Competitions Committee
2013—2015: UEFA Marketing Advisory Committee
2013—2015: UEFA Stadium and Security Committee
2013—2016: Organizing Committee for the FIFA Club World Cup
2015—2017: UEFA Marketing Advisory Committee

Current UEFA roles

Vice-president
Executive Committee
UEFA Events SA
National Associations Committee
Youth and Amateur Football Committee
Professional Football Strategy Council

Political career

Surkis was a deputy in the III and IV convocations of Verkhovna Rada for the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine (united), he was a leading figure in that party.
According to a taped conversation about Viktor Medvedchuk between Leonid Derkach and president of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma which was recorded by Mykola Melnychenko, "... he also is 100% KGB agent" who operated under the pseudonym "Sokolovsky" and is very close to Hryhoriy Surkis.

Criminal investigations

On 19 March 2019 a criminal proceeding №12018110200001859 against former president of the Football Federation of Ukraine Hryhorii Surkis has been registered in the Single pre-trial investigations register. He is suspected of misappropriation, embezzlement or conversion or property by malversation in especially gross amount, or by an organized group, i.e. Article 191, p. 5 of the Criminal code of Ukraine.
The criminal proceeding also concerns building of an educational and training base for national teams in the village of Horenychi near Kyiv. In 2003 former president of the FFU Hruhorii Surkis along with FFU vice-president Oleksandr Bandurko announced the beginning of construction works at the new sports base site. An arena and 10 fully equipped football fields should have been built at the area of 40 hectares.
The money to finance construction was collected from Ukrainian clubs, which were receiving the "solidarity payments" from the UEFA starting from season 2000/2001 till season 2003/2004.
UAH 12 million have been allocated to finance the construction works in Horenychi. The sports base hasn't been built.

Corruption scandals

In November 2019 the Ukrainian association of football addressed the State Bureau of Investigations, Prosecutor General's Office and the Interior Ministry with an appeal claiming that former FFU president Hruhorii Surkis had committed a €380 million criminal offence.
The UAF explains its actions with an investigation by German "Der Spiegel" titled "How did the UEFA payments happen to get to British Virgin Islands" and the results of the internal probe.
According to "Der Spiegel", starting from 1999, for more than 15 years the UEFA had been transferring money to a Newport Management Limited offshore company. This money had been assigned for the Football Federation of Ukraine and the development of Ukrainian football.
The company is registered at British Virgin Island and, according to "Der Spiegel’s" investigation, is controlled by Hryhorii Surkis, who's been chairing the FFU since 2000 till year 2012. Besides, for more than ten years – till February 2019 – he's been a member of the UEFA Executive committee.
Police and the Attorney General's Office are investigating the appropriation of UEFA funds received by the Football Federation of Ukraine under the chairmanship of Grigory Surkis for the offshore intermediary company Newport Management Ltd. This is stated in the resolutions of the Holosiivskyi District Court of Kyiv on 21 January.
Hryhoriy Surkis was suspected of financially motivating members of the "football" temporary investigative commission of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, which is investigating the construction of football fields. Even called a specific amount – 1 million UAH.
Reinhard Grindel resigned as president of the German Football Association on 2 April 2019. The reason he gave for his resignation was his criticism of himself after accepting a €6,000 watch from Hryhoriy Surkis.

FootballLeaks-2

German journalists from "Der Spiegel" Rafael Buschmann and Michael Wulzinger published a book titled "Football Leaks – 2”.
A separate part titled "Ukrainische Bruderschaft" describes brothers’ Ihor and Hryhorii Surkis activities in football sphere and their relation to the "Newport" offshore. All FC "Dynamo’s" activities are financed by this company. The authors refer to Football Leaks’ documents.
The book tells that starting from 1993 all the financial activities of Kyiv-based FC "Dynamo" have been performed via the company ‘Newport", controlled by the current club's boss Ihor Surkis. Having cited the FIFA data, the authors noted that in 2011–2017 the "Newport" spent USD 324 million to buy 82 players for FC "Dynamo". The taxes from this sum have not been paid in Ukraine.

Crime in Kyiv

On 18 December 2019, the German "Kicker" published an article "Crime in Kyiv", telling how the money allocated by the UEFA for Ukrainian football got to the offshore company, controlled by Surkis brothers.

Fur coats for the referee

In 1995, the Surkis brothers tried to bribe the Spanish Champions League referee Antonio Lopez Nieto before the Dynamo – Panathinaikos match. They offered two mink coats and $30 thousand. For the actions of Surkis, Dynamo was removed from the Champions League and was disqualified for a year.

Honours

2004: Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise
2012: Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise
2006: Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise
2004: Order of Merit
1998: Order of Merit
1996: Order of Merit