The war continues, it has not gone away, but the Ukrainians take a break in the midst of terror: fans will be able to shake the dust off their shirts, those that were saved 6 months ago when the russian invasion –on February 24–, to once again support their teams. Because football returns, from this Tuesday, just on the day of the national flag. For now, the fans will not be able to go to the stadiums, but it is already something, the certainty that soccer comes out of the trenches.
Peace has not returned Ukraine. Follow the invasion, the evacuations, the bombers and all the horror of war. The news is not encouraging: this Saturday the death toll from a missile attack in Kharkiv, in the north of the country, rose to 18… At least 12 people, including three children, were injured this Saturday in a Russian bombing in Voznesensk , to the south… The Ukrainian army reported having shot down four Russian Kalibr-type cruise missiles… Russian Ministry of Defense He stated that the Ukrainian forces suffered more than 800 fatalities after a new air attack… and so on, every day.
But in the midst of the storm, while the cities struggle to rise from the rubble, the ball appears. The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, and the prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, gave the go-ahead, albeit under martial law. That is, under strict measures adopted jointly by the ministries of defense, interior and the Ukrainian emergency service.
Strict protocol for football
The protocol is defined. There will be 16 teams that will participate in the championship, and the presence of fans in the stadiums is prohibited. Only authorized personnel will be: police, doctors, journalists and players. All trained not only to compete, but also for the eventualities of war: if there are attacks, literally, the stadium announcer will launch the warning: “Attention! Air alert! Everyone to the shelter.”
And everyone will obey immediately, unless there is someone unaware, because in matters of war the mind is easily clouded. But just in case, it won’t be far, no more than 500 meters away are the shelters, the ones that nobody wants to occupy because nobody expects that there will be attacks like those without the ball.
That football returns is a government and sports measure to hide a war that has not gone away. But it is also a form of hope.
Andrew All is a Ukrainian sports journalist with British nationality, founder of the portal ‘Zorya Londonsk’, a specialist in Ukrainian football. He lives in London and from there he gives his opinion, with the nostalgia of any Ukrainian in these times, about this return of football.
Seeing your team play again will raise the morale of soldiers and common people
“While football is far from being the top priority, it is important. It will provide a respite for fans who will be watching on TV or on their phones, from the front lines or in the air shelters, or anywhere in between. Seeing your team play again will boost the morale of soldiers and ordinary people,” he says.
ukrainian hope
Andrew explains that since June the teams resumed their preparation, with friendlies and training sessions, that many foreign players left, such as the case of Colombian Gilmar Angulo, who did not miss an opportunity to flee the war, but some also returned and other new ones have been booked. Football begins to reactivate slowly.
He admits that it will not be easy for athletes to take the risk, but his analysis is optimistic. “It’s never going to be 100% safe as long as there’s a war, but the areas they’re organizing parties in: kyiv, Lviv and Zakarpattya, they should be relatively safe with the best air defense systems,” he says.
Ukraine is still under fire, militarized towns, there are wounded, dead and terror in the atmosphere, but football is finally reborn, with the hope that the happy roars of goal will drown out the tortuous noise of the bullets.
PAUL ROMERO
Editor of THE TIME
@PabloRomeroET
more sports news
#Ukraine #recovers #football #midst #war #goals #return