Kyiv – Warsaw and back: Shakhtar Donetsk travels several thousand kilometers just for home games in the Champions League in order to live the dream of normality in football.
Shakhtar Donetsk hasn’t had a home for a long time. Expelled from their own Donbass Arena, guest in Lviv, Kharkiv and most recently in Kyiv – since 2014 the ten-time Ukrainian champion has been practically on the run.
The situation has drastically worsened due to Russia’s war of aggression. The first game in the Champions League on September 6 (9 p.m.) at RB Leipzig should provide a little distraction.
“We will not disappoint Ukraine”
Darijo Srna is sporting director at Donetsk. The long-serving captain of Shakhtar has known war and expulsion since he was a child. During the Balkan War, his family fled southern Croatia for safer areas of the country. “We will show the whole world that we are still alive”said the 40-year-old. “It’s the time to survive, be like family and create something beautiful.“It’s highly questionable whether that will work.
Because Shakhtar has changed. While the team was dominated by Brazilian professionals for many years, now almost all foreign professionals are gone. Midfielder Neven Djurasek was added in July – as was new coach Igor Jovicevic from Croatia. Up front is Lassina Traoré from Burkina Faso, who joined from Ajax last summer. In the league they are still unbeaten after three games, but the level can hardly be assessed without an international comparison.
Of course, the club wants to use the Champions League stage to campaign for peace at home. Whether initiatives or fundraisers can take place is still open. “Unfortunately, in Champions League games you have to follow the guidelines laid down by UEFA quite strictly, so the scope is limited.”said the commercial director Dmitry Kirilenko of the Polish online platform “Sports.Interior“.
Logistically a mega challenge
In order to be able to compete in the premier class at all, Shakhtar already takes on a lot. From exile in Kyiv, the team moved to Warsaw in early August. “The team – players, coaches, medical staff – will be based in Warsaw and travel to Ukraine for league games and then back to Champions League games. But the club, office and the rest of the people will remain in Kyiv.”said Kirilenko.
Logistically everything is a mega challenge. “When we made the decision, we calculated how many kilometers the team would have to cover between September and November. That’s about 8,000 to 10,000 kilometers. And that’s without the away games in the Champions League, which are still ahead of us. We have only travel to Champions League matches in Warsaw and to league matches counted”explained Kirilenko.
The decision in favor of Warsaw was not only made for logistical reasons. “I think it’s the best possible solution for us. It’s very close to Ukraine and there are also a lot of Ukrainians living in Warsaw.”said Kirilenko and also hopes for the fans of Legia in the premier class: “We knew Legia had a large number of fans. I think there are around 9,000 fans who have season tickets. There’s an incredible atmosphere at the games.” The contract also states that the stands will be opened to Legia fans. This move paid off immediately, with 30 percent of the tickets sold on the first day.