Dylan Bettencourt
The threat of a Russian attack is not enough to curb the determination of football side FC Kryvbas at the start of the new season.
The Ukrainian Premier League went on its winter break only two days before Russia invaded in February.
The new season is set to get underway on Tuesday, while the conflict with Russia carries on around it.
Kryvbas’s city has been destroyed by Russian forces but it is not enough to keep them away from the football ground.
Manager Yuriy Vernydub said he still holds reservations that the league will resume in the middle of a war but admits the reality of Ukraine’s situation has made him less worried.
“Of course I have some fears about starting the league now. Any smart person would,” Vernydub told the Guardian.
“It’s probably the first time in history that a championship will be played in the middle of a war. But I’ve seen real shelling with my own eyes so I’m less scared.”
Unlike several other clubs in Ukraine, Kryvbas decided against relocating to Kyiv and chose to stay in the city, which is only 100km away from the Enerhodar nuclear power station that has been the target of Russian attacks.
When a proposal was floated to take the league abroad as a safety precaution, the club immediately rejected the idea. They explained that there is “no other option, neither from a moral point of view or from a sporting principle” than to compete in Ukraine.
Kryvbas CEO and former defender Volodymyr Baienko said although it is surprising, the return of football means more than just a football match.
“Nobody believed we could be in a footballing situation so soon but we want to show the world we are not afraid,” he said.
“Some people say that because of war you can’t work or plan. But my opinion is despite its horrors, the war can be viewed as an opportunity. While others have hesitated, we’re moving forward, because we’ve got ambitious targets.”
Image source: @TheGuardian
