Viktor Kanevskyi

Viktor Izrailyovych (Illich) Kanevskyi (, ; 3 October 1936 – 25 November 2018) was a Ukrainian and Soviet football player and coach. He was Jewish. He was one of the first footballers from Ukraine who competed at the FIFA World Cup.

Biography After the World War II, the Kanevskyi family lived in the compound of the Saint Sophia Cathedral monastery, while the father of Viktor worked in the local Academy of Architecture located in the same monastery. That same year the Football Federation of the Soviet Union received a personal invitation for Kanevskyi to coach Algeria national football team.

Anti-Semitism in Soviet Football Kanevskyi pointed out several instances of anti-Semitism during his playing and coaching career in the Soviet Union.

One time Kanevskyi head-butted Anatoliy Fedotov who played for an Almaty team for calling him names. After that Kanevskyi was suspended for a game.

Kanevskyi also mentioned that even after being the Dynamos' captain for six years and winning one season, he was the only one who did not receive the title of Merited Master of Sports.

Later when Kanevskyi was coaching, he never received the title of Merited Coach of Ukraine, while in Uzbekistan he received a similar title for a single season as an assistant coach.