August 23 – Exiled Shakhtar Donetsk and Metalist 1925 from the embattled eastern city of Kharkiv will kick off the new season of the Ukrainian Premier League tonight (Tuesday) despite the ongoing invasion by Russia.
The curtain raiser will be staged on the eve of the six-month anniversary of the Russian assault on Ukraine’s territory. August 23 marks Ukraine’s national flag day and precedes independence day on August 24. The war, which has killed thousands, displaced millions and ravaged cities and major infrastructure, still rages but even so the Ukrainian football fraternity is determined to proceed with regular league football.
“This will be a unique competition: It will happen during a war, during military aggression, during bombardments,” said Andriy Pavelko, head of the Ukrainian Association of Football, in an interview with Reuters.
Pavelko is hardly exaggerating. All stadiums will have bomb shelters and as soon as air raid sirens sound matches will be interrupted with players walking off and not returning until they get an all-clear.
The military will be at every match with the majority staged in and around Kyiv and in two other provinces.
Shakthar Donetsk will go into the new season as favourites to win the championship. They will also feature in the Champions League, playing their home matches in Warsaw.
The Donetsk club are no strangers to playing in exile after the city was captured by Russian separatists in 2014. They have been the country’s dominant club force in recent seasons, but while they have long relied on Brazilian imports, most foreign players have departed Ukraine. Donetsk will be almost exclusively made up of Ukrainian players.
Coached by Romanian evergreen Mircea Lucescu, Dynamo Kyiv won the 2021 edition of the league, but have little chance of making the Champions League after a 2-0 first-leg defeat against Benfica.
Matches will be played behind closed doors because of the danger and risk of bombs and missiles. Desna Chernihiv and FC Mariupol, whose home city has been captured by Russia, will not feature in the league because their stadiums were destroyed.
The country’s sports minister Vadym Gutsait had previously confirmed that Ukraine would go ahead with its domestic season. Last season was halted in April and no title was awarded.
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