Ukraine kicked off its new football season on Tuesday, despite the ongoing Russian invasion, in a bid to boost morale in the war-torn country.
In the first match of the first division, Shakhtar Donetsk played a goalless draw with Metalist 1925 from Kharkiv at the Olimpiysky stadium in the capital Kyiv.
In an emotional pre-match celebration, players from both teams and the referees took to the pitch wrapped in Ukrainian flags and held up a banner reading “We have the same courage.”
Shakhtar players wore T-shirts with the inscription “Dnetsk. Ukraine will win”, knowing that Donetsk has been under the control of pro-Russian separatists since 2014, and Metalist players wore similar T-shirts with the inscription “Kharkiv. Ukraine will win.”
In addition, during the match, Metalist players wore T-shirts with the emblem of the Armed Forces of Ukraine instead of their traditional emblem.
After a minute of silence in memory of the Ukrainians who died as a result of the Russian invasion, a Ukrainian soldier hit the symbolic starting ball.
Matches will be played without spectators for security reasons. But passers-by outside the stadium expressed their support. Dynamo Kyiv fan Maxim Shcherbina called the resumption of football “very important”. “We show that war cannot stop us,” the 35-year-old continued.
Another fan, 41-year-old Denis Lazarenko, said: “Our country is in dire need of football. He brings people together.”
The war had a great impact on football clubs, especially the smaller and financially weak ones. Two top clubs, FC Mariupol and Desna Chernigiyev, were given the right to miss the season with the right to return next year.
The strategic port of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov was destroyed by continuous Russian shelling, and the Desna Stadium in northern Cherenigiv was hit by a Russian missile.
Reports indicated that the decision to start the season was made by President Volodymyr Zelensky to give the country a moral boost.
Some clubs play their home matches outside their cities, but most are in the safer western and central regions.
In April, Ukrainian football clubs decided to end the season ahead of schedule after it was suspended following the Russian invasion that began on February 24. Shakhtar Donetsk were two points ahead of Dynamo Kyiv at the top of the standings, but the League decided not to award the title.
