‘It’s important we saved our sport’: Ukraine’s footballers play on in conflict’s shadow
www.theguardian.com
Mon, 24 Feb 2025 10:00:02 +0200
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Three years after Russias invasion, UPL teams dream of a seat at Uefas top table to avoid an uncertain financial futureLast Friday, Kolos Kovalivka opened the second half of this Ukrainian Premier League season with a home match against a struggling Chornomorets Odesa.
The match was kicked off by Dmytro Orel, a soldier who has fought for his country on the frontlines in the warravaged east.
Orel took in the appreciation of a sparse crowd and saw Kolos score within two minutes.
The cheers ended there a fightback from the visitors brought a 21 win and dragged Kolos towards the relegation fight.The previous day, an infinitely worse piece of news had broken.
It was reported that Mykyta Kalin, a former Kolos youthteam player, had been killed during a combat mission in the Kharkiv region.
Three years since Russias fullscale invasion of Ukraine, life must continue where possible and football is back on its feet.
But its proximity to unimaginable violence, grief and destruction has not really shifted the effects continue to be felt severely.
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