Panathinaikos faces setback in bid to hire Ukraine's legend

Panathinaikos has reached a verbal agreement with Serhiy Rebrov to take over the reins of the team. However, they will need to wait a little longer until the 51-year-old coach clarifies his relationship with the Ukrainian Football Federation and whether he can reach a “velvet divorce.”

At the same time, Ukrainian media—and specifically the website sport.ua—offered a different perspective, reporting on Tuesday evening (September 23) that Rebrov will remain in charge of the Ukrainian national team at least until the end of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, meaning until November 16 and the home match against Iceland, CE Report quotes ANA-MPA.

Panathinaikos, of course, cannot remain waiting indefinitely and expects Rebrov to settle the matter once and for all in discussions he will have this week with the leadership of the Ukrainian federation in Kyiv.

Beyond that, there is indeed the “scenario” of him staying on the Ukrainian bench through the next international window and the matches against Iceland (October 10, away) and Azerbaijan (October 13, home). In that case, Christos Kontis would remain in charge of Panathinaikos until then. However, it is clear that the club will not wait until November if Rebrov cannot find a solution with the federation.

The sport.ua report in detail:

“According to journalist Viktor Vatsko, Serhiy Rebrov will remain in charge of the national team at least until the end of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Panathinaikos has indeed shown interest in Ukraine’s coach, but the club has been informed that Rebrov is not going to step down at this stage.

The national coach dreams of leading Ukraine to the World Cup and is fully committed to that goal. Panathinaikos’ efforts, for now, cannot bear fruit.

Ukraine, after two matches in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, has collected only 1 point, following a 0–2 loss to France and a 1–1 draw with Azerbaijan.”