Mykhailo Fomenko, former Ukraine coach and a Soviet

KIYV, Ukraine (AP) — Mykhailo Fomenko, a former Soviet-era player for Dynamo Kiev who went on to coach Ukraine’s national team at the European Championship, has died, the Ukrainian club said Monday. He was 75.

Dynamo did not disclose details about the cause of death.

“I grieve together with everyone who loved this beautiful person,” Dynamo president Ihor Surkis said. “The good memory of Mykhailo Fomenko will remain with us forever.”

As a player, Fomenko was a key defender on the Dynamo team that won the Soviet Union’s league title three times, and the 1975 Cup Winners’ Cup in Europe. The team went on to beat Bayern Munich in the UEFA Super Cup that year.

He was also part of the Soviet teams that reached the final of the 1972 European Championship and took bronze at the 1976 Olympics.

As a coach, Fomenko helped Ukraine qualify for Euro 2016 in France, although his team lost all three group games at the tournament.

He also coached Dynamo to its first Ukrainian league title in the 1992-93 season following the country’s split from the Soviet Union.

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