(foto: uradna spletna stran kluba)
Ukrainian football is defying the dire economic and social situation in the country.
The spring season of the Ukrainian Premier League began a few weeks ago, arguably the most unique football championship in Europe, as it is played in the shadow of war in the eastern part of the country. Three years after the Russian invasion, Ukrainian clubs are continuing to compete despite the difficult situation, as football is one of the few things that can take people’s minds off the harsh reality they live in, at least for a short while.
The season opened in front of a total of 256 spectators between Kolos Kovalivka and Chernomorets Odessa, two clubs struggling to survive. The day before the match, Kolos received the sad news that one of their former youth players, Mikita Kalin, had fallen on the front line near Kharkiv. The ceremonial kick-off from midfield was taken by soldier Dmytro Orel, who was recently on the front lines. This is the reality of Ukrainian football at the moment.
The coach of one of the leading clubs in the league, fifth-placed Kryvbas, is 59-year-old Yuriy Vernidub, who left a well-paid job as coach of Moldovan Sheriff in 2022, when the Russians invaded his homeland, returned to his native Zaporozhye and joined the Ukrainian army. His friendship with Kryvbas president Konstantin Karamanits led to the fact that, despite being a soldier, he also got the job of head coach of this first-league team. The army came in handy to the point that he was transferred to Kryvyi Rih and can perform both duties at the same time.
"When something urgent happens, I have to return to my unit," says Vernidub. "It hasn't happened on match day, but there have been cases when I've just finished training and then had to put on my uniform and go to my military base."
Ukrainian football is completely dependent on external factors. This is best seen in the case of the most successful club, Shakhtar Donetsk, which has not played at its own stadium for more than a decade. "The economic situation in Ukraine is directly related to our football," says Shakhtar director Sergei Palkin. "The income from sponsorship, television rights and ticket sales is a pittance. We survive thanks to the contributions of the owners."
Shakhtar owner Rinat Akhmetov is still investing heavily in his club. In the winter transfer window, striker Kauã Elias arrived from Brazilian Fluminense for 14 million euros. The miners also participated in the league stage of the Champions League this year, but they failed to make it to the knockout rounds. They are also not doing well in the domestic championship, as they are currently only in third place, behind leaders Dynamo Kyiv and second-placed Oleksandria.
"Our clubs in European competitions have achieved the worst results in recent years, at the moment this is the lowest point for Ukrainian football," said Palkin. "But we are living in very difficult times: it is important that we have saved our sport and that we are still alive." Karpaty Lviv defender Denis Miroshnichenko agrees: "We are trying to give people a chance to distract themselves at least a little and forget about the war. To offer them something positive through sport."
Shakhtar director Palkin is not very enthusiastic about the world's governing body FIFA, which he says is not helping the Ukrainians: "Since the beginning of the war, FIFA has not supported Ukrainian football. We need to establish some kind of foundation for Ukrainian football, and one of the main donors should be FIFA. They should support us because our infrastructure is destroyed and the economic situation is bad. It is difficult to survive in these conditions, and it is strange that they completely ignore us. FIFA's doors are always closed to us."
Shakhtar demanded 50 million euros in compensation from FIFA in 2022 after it ruled that foreign footballers in Ukrainian clubs could terminate their contracts without consequences. The Donetsk club ultimately lost its case in an arbitration court.
The biggest challenge for the Ukrainian Football Federation, which has been chaired by the legendary Andriy Shevchenko for a year, is to maintain the football competition in anything but ideal conditions. "We have two scenarios for further development," says Shevchenko. "One in case the war continues and the other in case it ends. These are two very different visions."
Last year, Shevchenko met with FIFA President Gianni Infantino in Paris, who promised help, so Sergei Palkin's harsh words should be understood primarily in the context of Shakhtar. FIFA has introduced several programs to help Ukrainian football, and in March 2022, at the initial stage of the invasion, it also donated one million US dollars for humanitarian aid to Ukraine. The fact is, however, that Gianni Infantino is on very good terms with US President Donald Trump, who is currently not very friendly towards Ukraine.
Shevchenko is doing his best to ensure that Ukrainian football has its place under the European sun. At the UEFA Congress in April, he will run for a seat on the executive committee of the European umbrella organization, while at the same time trying to help the Ukrainian people through football. He has introduced innovative projects of football for amputees and for the use of the world's most popular game as part of post-traumatic rehabilitation for soldiers.
In Western Europe, football in late capitalism is a game of billions and overpaid prima donnas, while in Ukraine it is a game of pennies and hope.