For the football pros of Dynamo Kyiv it is a ray of hope in cloudy days Borussia Dortmund an act of solidarity. In the charity game between the two teams on Tuesday (April 26, 2022, 6 p.m. / ZDF) in Dortmund, the sporting events on the pitch only play a minor role.
The opportunity to offer a change to his professionals who fled to Romania to escape the war in Ukraine arouses more emotions in Mircea Lucescu than any Champions League game. “They usually have sad faces. But we try to brighten them up a bit with games like this and with training.”said the Dynamo coach full of anticipation.
In a fatherly manner, the 76-year-old football teacher took care of the team. It was thanks to the initiative of the former Romanian national player that she was able to move into quarters in Romania’s national football center near Bucharest in the first few days after Russia’s attack on Ukraine. “There was no way I could have left the players alone in that difficult position when the invasion started”said Lucescu.
Collect donations for war victims
With games like the recent ones against Legia Warsaw, Galatasaray Istanbul and CFR Cluj or now against BVB, the 16-time Ukrainian and 13-time Soviet champions want to collect donations for the victims of the war. Shakhtar Donetsk, the second well-known club in the country, is currently on a similar charity mission.
Wladimir Klitschko, former boxing world champion and brother of Kiev mayor Vitali Klitschko, tried to boost ticket sales with a video message to BVB fans: “My request: buy the tickets, go to the stadium. Help Ukraine.” The appeal from Kyiv and Dortmund’s advertising for the game are having an effect. A day before kick-off, around 25,000 tickets had already been sold.
The BVB coach is hoping for a healthy income
Alain Aussi is particularly concerned about the forthcoming visit from his compatriots. The 20-year-old defender, who was loaned to Veres Rivne by Dynamo Kyiv, fled to Germany in the first days of the war, found shelter with a BVB employee and is currently keeping fit in the U23 team of the Bundesliga second team.
In the game against Kyiv he should be used as a guest player for BVB. Occasional joint training sessions with stars like Marco Reus and Mats Hummels gave a little consolation: “I only knew them from television before – and suddenly I’m playing football against them in training.”