Ukraine plans to resume competitive football in the country in next month despite the ongoing war with Russia after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave approval.
The president of Ukraine’s football federation reportedly held talks with Zelenskyy and the heads of FIFA and UEFA about finding a way to resume men’s and women’s football on home soil.
Ukraine was forced to abandon its leagues in February after Russia invaded the country which has wreaked havoc in the region.
With the fighting shifting away from Kyiv there is renewed optimism that football activities can resume.
“I spoke with our president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, about how important football is to distract,” Pavelko said in an interview with the AP, surrounded by Ukraine jerseys and a tactics board in the team meeting room in Cardiff. “From the children to the old people, everyone is focused on the war. Every day they receive information about deaths, about the impact of the war.
“We spoke about how football has a very big power to help people think about the future because now people, of course, are not in a good mindset. They’re in the worst mood. We spoke about how it would be possible that football could help us to think about the future.”
The last season of the Ukrainian Premier League had to be suspended due to the ongoing war with Shakhtar Donetsk being declared the champions of the curtailed season.
Ukraine also came close to qualifying for the upcoming world cup, falling short on the final hurdle against Wales.
Russia on the other hand has faced strict action after the invasion with its football team being suspended from all official football competitions.
[Associated Press]
