March 21 – With the debate over the handling of migrants attempting to enter the UK becoming increasingly heated – and with football presenter and former England footballer turned TV presenter Gary Lineker being dragged into the centre of it over a tweet – the English FA has come down solidly on the side of inclusion.
Lineker will be pleased as he has twice given safe haven to Ukrainian refugees in his own home.
The FA is inviting 1,000 more into their Wembley home for the England vs Ukraine EURO 2024 qualifying match on March 26.
The free tickets are being given to Ukrainians displaced by war and their sponsors in the UK.
They will be the special guests of The FA and Wembley Stadium who worked with the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain (AUGB) to offer the tickets as a thank you to the sponsor families supporting Ukrainians. There are 117,000 Ukrainians who are still unable to return home to Ukraine, as the war continues into its second year.
Petro Rewko, Chair of AUGB said: “We are immensely grateful to The FA and Wembley Stadium for donating tickets to displaced Ukrainians. They will, of course, be cheering Ukraine, but they will also be celebrating the England team and their supporters for reaching out a hand of true friendship and making the match such a memorable one for them.”
Wembley will be a sell-out 85,000 crowd for what will clearly be an emotional fixture. An expected 4,200 Ukraine fans will be in the crowd.
The UK’s conservative government, after being on the wrong side of the majority over the Lineker migrant tweet fiasco, nevertheless have been quick to jump on the PR opportunity of the Ukrainians at Wembley.
Sports Minister Stuart Andrew said: “Over the past year the UK has stood shoulder to shoulder with the people of Ukraine. Thousands of people have played their part by generously welcoming Ukrainians into their homes, and we continue to do all we can to support all those displaced because of Putin’s illegal war.”
He missed out the bit about putting all the rest of the migrants seeking a safe haven on a flight to Rwanda.
The match is England’s first home fixture on Euro 2024 qualifying. England last played Ukraine at Euro 2020, winning 4-0.
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