The new head coach of the Ukraine national football team, Andrea Maldera, has finalized the coaching staff that will assist him in working with the team. It includes Italian Pasquale Catalano, as well as Ukrainians Taras Stepanenko and Volodymyr Yezerskyi. Maldera announced this during a press conference at the UAF, UNN reports.
"This time I brought fewer people with me. Beside me will be one more person from Italy - Pasquale Catalano. He is Italian, my friend, with whom we share similar ideas about football. A person I trust very much. But also this time I would like to surround myself with Ukrainians. Therefore, our coaching staff will include Taras Stepanenko - a person I coached and who possesses extraordinary values, is very attached to Ukrainian football, and understands the value of the Ukrainian player's jersey. And I would very much like him to be able to pass these values on to the players,"
He also noted that Volodymyr Yezerskyi would join his coaching staff.
"I was not his coach, but I know a lot, I have heard a lot about the fact that he is also a man of great values, and we will try to do everything in our power for the result,"
Addendum
Pasquale Catalano is a 54-year-old Italian coach. Throughout his career, he has worked at a number of Italian clubs. Since 2026, he has been leading the Italian side Fidelis Andria, which competes in the Italian Serie D (the fourth tier of the Italian league system).
Taras Stepanenko is a former midfielder for the Ukraine national team and Shakhtar Donetsk, where he played for 15 seasons. He was also a long-time captain of both the national team and the "Pitmen."
In January 2025, he signed a contract with the Turkish club Eyüpspor, and already this year he returned to Ukraine, where he plays for Kolos, having made 4 appearances, mostly coming on as a substitute.
Stepanenko signs contract with Turkish side Euapspor31.01.25, 17:43
Volodymyr Yezerskyi is a 49-year-old Ukrainian footballer who previously played for Karpaty, Dynamo, Dnipro, Shakhtar, and Zorya. He was a participant in the 2006 World Cup in Germany as part of the Ukraine national team. Since 2014, he has been working as a coach, and since 2024, he has been an assistant to Dmytro Mykhailenko in the Ukraine U-19 national team.
Recall
Italian coach Andrea Maldera took charge of the Ukraine national football team following the dismissal of Serhiy Rebrov. Previously, Maldera worked with the national team as an assistant to head coach Andriy Shevchenko, who currently holds the position of UAF President.