Away from the battlefields and Russian occupiers, Ukrainian soccer players exempted from military service are trying to fulfill their own mission: to lead the country to the World Cup.
As they face Wales this Sunday in the playoffs, they will have an extra source of inspiration in their locker room: a flag sent by soldiers to the front lines.
Since Wednesday, when Ukraine beat Scotland in the semi-final playoffs, players have continued to exchange messages with friends defending their country in a war that has lasted more than 100 days.
We all hope that Ukraine will soon be liberated and become an independent country againsaid midfielder Oleksandr Karavayev of the Welsh capital.
All of this is very positive; it brings positive emotions as everyone believes and sees how the whole world is united for Ukraine.
The Kyiv Dynamo player has a family in the city of Kherson, captured in the early part of this war by Russia.
They can’t watch the game because there is no internetKaravayev explained. But we communicate through messages and they read the news.
Players of choice could keep Ukraine’s name in the news by qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since 2006. But their compatriots up front may not have immediately known the result of the match against Wales.
We live in a very difficult situation in Ukraine and not everyone has the opportunity to watch socceradmitted coach Oleksandr Petrakov. I had no communication with the soldiers, but there were some players writing to them and they even received a flag that they planned to hang in the locker room.
From there they will march towards the pitch where they will try to beat the Welsh themselves who are trying to get into the tournament for the first time since 1958. They must once again be supported by their noisy and emotional supporters.
Sport is sport and we don’t expect giftssaid Karavayev. We know how difficult it is and it is the most important game of our lives. We will do everything to win.
Welsh captain Gareth Bales has a lot of sympathy for the Ukrainians. But he is determined to help his club qualify. Will he even go so far as to apologize if he has to remove Ukraine?
How awful it is, nohe said. It is a sport and a competition in which we also want to participate. Everyone has good feelings for Ukraine, but for this game, we stick to soccer. We understand what this could mean for Ukraine, but we also want to participate in the World Cup. We want to do this for our supporters.
Source: Radio-Canada
