Shakhtar Donetsk, Ukraine's top football team, is moving its war efforts from the frontlines of Donbas to the historic Stamford Bridge stadium in London this week. The team, which was displaced from its home in 2014 due to attacks by Russian-backed forces, will play in the UEFA Champions League at this stadium.
Representing the Entire Country
Serhiy Palkin, the executive director of Shakhtar, and Dario Srna, the sports director, spoke at a hotel in Monaco about the importance of these matches, stating: "At this moment, we are not just representing Shakhtar. We are representing the entire country." They emphasized that these competitions are crucial not only for sporting success but also for supporting the people of Ukraine who have been displaced from their homes.
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Striving for Survival in the Champions League
Despite the challenges of war and financial turmoil, Shakhtar Donetsk continues to strive to remain among the elite of European football. The team has faced tough conditions in recent years and has had to play its home games in Poland and Germany. This season, Shakhtar's matches in London will be against rivals such as AEK Athens, Sporting Lisbon, Fenerbahçe, and Real Madrid.
Palkin stated, "London is the capital of the football world." Srna added, "We are not under pressure. We want to play football. We are constantly under stress in Ukraine, and we just want to play for our fans and for Ukraine."
Message of Investment in Ukraine
Shakhtar Donetsk's jerseys are adorned with the name of SCM, Ukraine's largest private investment and industrial company owned by Rinat Akhmetov, the richest man in Ukraine and the owner of the club. Akhmetov and other officials from the company are seeking to attract Western investors and believe that investing in Ukraine can help rebuild the country and also contribute to European security.
Natalia Yemchenko, the corporate affairs manager at SCM, said, "This is a good time to invest in Ukraine. This investment is important not only financially but also from a strategic security and food security perspective." She also emphasized SCM's commitment to fighting corruption, stating that their company has zero tolerance for corruption.
The Impact of War on Ukraine and Europe
Russia's ongoing attacks on Ukraine have claimed thousands of lives and caused hundreds of billions of dollars in damage to the country's infrastructure. Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, has been working in recent months to maintain Western support for Kyiv. Yemchenko pointed out the impact of this war on Ukraine and Europe, stating, "This war is a Ukrainian war, but broadly, it is also a European war." She added that Russia's attacks on infrastructure are targeted and aim to create despair in Ukrainian businesses.
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