Four months ago Ukraine started facing one of the biggest humanitarian crises the world has seen in decades. A war no one asked for shattered the lives of millions of Ukrainians. This article is not about the humanitarian and political side of it. It’s about the resilience of Ukrainians who emerged through the events and how football as a sport, acts as a massive force in boosting the spirit of an entire nation.
Ukraine's football resilience dates back to WW2, when several Ukrainian clubs joined together to form FC Start which kept the Ukrainian footballing spirit alive defeating even the strongest teams that they encountered which showed their bravery and footballing prowess even under the threats of the Nazi regime. Ukrainian players were a major driving force behind the former USSR football team. The leading football club in Ukraine, FC Shakhtar Donetsk who were forced to leave their home due to the conflicts in Eastern Ukraine, kept on impressing the world in spite of uncertainty and instability. This has been the case with Ukrainian football for years but trailing back to 2022, we are going to jump into the 2022 FIFA world cup qualifiers.
Ukraine placed second in their group (Group D) in European qualifiers, with 2 wins and 6 draws including a 1 : 1 draw against the reigning world champions France. They’re hopes were shining. With months of foreshadowing, then came the glooming clouds of war upon their heads. Russia declared war against Ukraine. Many of the Ukrainian players got trapped in bunkers, some went on to fight in the front line, the ones who were in club tournaments abroad were left in fear for their families stranded in Ukraine. The whole world stood in support, along with the football community. The fans and players took it into their hands to show their support for the Ukrainians and condemn war. Stadiums were bedazzled with Ukrainian colours, fans were chanting with one voice, “Stop the War. Freedom for Ukraine”. The collective patriotism among the Ukrainians was overwhelming. Many who were abroad went back to fight for their country including a number of sporting stars. It was an exceptional example for the entire world.
The remaining two matches for the final European spot of the FIFA world cup took under these circumstances. The premier league winning Man. City star Oleksandr Zinchenko has been a major advocate in speaking up against the Russian invasion. “Ukraine is never going to give up”, he said in an emotional press conference pre-match and that is exactly what they did. Thousands of Ukrainians gathered up to Hampden Park and Cardiff to support their teams. Even novices to football took time to gather together, supporting their teams. People in Ukraine, amid the air-raid alerts and threats of ground attacks gathered in bars, stations, bunkers to support their teams. Even the soldiers in the frontlines took time to watch the games through smartphones and radios, even going to the point of sending a national flag to be hung in the Ukrainian dressing room at the match vs Wales. It was not just a sporting event for them, it represented the collective Ukrainian spirit of resilience, courage and hope. The Ukrainians players who were worried sick for their families in Ukraine and shattered about the horrible events ongoing in their nation understood what these matches meant for their people and gathered up the strength to play for their country.
Ukraine went ahead to win against Scotland 3 : 1, to the utmost delight of the thousands of fans gathered and millions of fans back home but they were defeated in the match against Wales, cutting off their world cup dream. Even then the Welsh goal keeper Wayne Hennessey had to pull out some exceptional performance to keep the charging Ukraine players at bay. They’re fighting spirit was abundantly clear along with the 67.6% ball possession and 9 shots on target. Even the defeat was heart breaking, they joined together to cheer up the fans. It meant so much for all the Ukrainians.
Why I decided to give you guys an insight into this topic was that I found the fact that sports could be such an impact on people quite intriguing and exciting. It goes far beyond and it’s such a strong force in uniting people and giving people strength in desperate times as it has shown throughout the years.
By Chamath Ranasingha
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