Start of the season in Ukraine under sirens and in front of empty stands

Shakhtar Donetsk welcomes Metalist Kharkiv in their first appearance, the game will take place at lunchtime in Kiev. “It will be a unique competition. It takes place in the middle of war, during military aggression and bombings,” said Ukrainian Football Association head Andriy Pavelko.

Four games will take place in the opener one day before Ukraine's Independence Day. Exactly six months ago on Wednesday, Russia launched its attack against its neighboring country. In cities like Charkiv, Kiev or Odessa in southern Ukraine, football was out of the question for a long time. Legionnaires left the country in droves and often chaotically in private cars.

The games will now be played in empty stadiums; no fans will be allowed in due to the risk of air raids. All venues must have air raid shelters; if the sirens sound, the game is stopped and shelter is sought. If this takes longer than an hour, a decision will be made in consultation with the referee as to whether the game can continue. All stadiums used are in Kiev, in the area around the capital and two of them in western Ukraine.

Football is not being thought about in Mariupol at the moment. © Social Media

Two top division clubs - Desna Chernihiv and FC Mariupol - had to be replaced after their arenas were destroyed. The future of FC Mariupol is currently uncertain as the city is now occupied by Russia after weeks of fighting.

According to Pawelko, returning to the field should also boost morale. “Many people from the front have asked us to think about reviving football in our country,” said the official. He therefore asked the club bosses in March and April not to disband their teams but to prepare for the next season.

Shakhtar is used to exile. The top club has not played in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, since 2014 after the area was occupied by separatists. The team was leading the league when the season came to an abrupt end. The numerous Brazilian professionals such as Fernando, who is now from Salzburg, left the country. Shakhtar is now betting on Ukrainian players. “For a long time there was a Brazilian Shakhtar, a top team. But now we have to forget that and get this new team ready as quickly as possible,” said the new coach, Croatian Igor Jovicevic.

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Start of the season in Ukraine under sirens and in front of empty stands

After months of interruption due to the Russian war of aggression, the new season of the Ukrainian football championship will start on Tuesday.

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