Ukrainian FA President Andriy Pavelko is set to remain in custody until August 14 ©Getty Images

Ukrainian Football Association (UAF) President Andriy Pavelko has been detained for 60 days following a ruling by a court in Lviv which the national governing body has appealed, claiming it is "politically motivated". 

The Shevchenkivskyi District Court has decided to put Pavelko in a pre-trial detention centre until August 14, according to Ukrainian website Football Hub.

The ruling comes after the investigative judge reportedly agreed to change the preventive measure to detention on the request of the prosecutor.

It is also reported that a bail of almost UAH9.9 million (£211,500/$270,600/€247,200) is to be transferred to the state.

Last November, Pavelko was arrested for allegedly misusing international aid funds before being released after the UAF paid the bail fee of UAH10,000,000 (£226,000/$271,000/€260,000).

The criminal proceedings include allegations that the UAF embezzled Kyiv football players' money, that budget money intended for the construction of football fields was wasted, and that abuse took place during the construction of a football base.

The UAF has announced that its lawyers have appealed the court ruling, which it claims is
The UAF has announced that its lawyers have appealed the court ruling, which it claims is "politically motivated" ©Getty Images

The Pechersk District Court of Kyiv ruled in February to suspend Pavelko from performing his duties until March 17.

The UAF leaped to Pavelko’s defence, insisting that his position as leader remained intact after filing an appeal and claimed that the ruling was an attempt to "sabotage" his campaign to remain on the UEFA Executive Committee.

Pavelko, who has been head of the UAF since 2015, kept his place on the Committee following the elections at the UEFA Ordinary Congress in April.

The UAF has also slammed the decision by the Shevchenkivskyi District Court.

"We at the Ukrainian Football Association consider this decision to have no legal basis and is politically motivated, and the UAF lawyers have already filed an appeal," a statement from the UAF read. 

"The transfer of the case from Kyiv to Lviv and the speed of decision-making raise questions not only among lawyers, but also among ordinary people who are not familiar with legal intricacies.

"Also, UAF lawyers will appeal to international institutions in order to prove the groundlessness of the arrest of Andriy Pavelek, who is also a member of the UEFA Executive Committee. 

"In addition, documents are being prepared for submission to the European Court of Human Rights."