A shrill noise sounds like a mighty whistle, the players of Ruch Lviv and Metalist Kharkiv pause for a moment and look at the stadium clock. It’s the 43rd minute, the players are confused: why did the referee end the first half prematurely? But it wasn’t the referee’s whistle. It was the air raid warning system that has been part of everyday life since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February. The players of both teams are taken to the nearest air raid shelter.
“We paused for about 30 minutes. It was something I had never experienced before. We went to the one dugout in the stadium and relaxed. Then we returned to the field and continued,” said Lviv midfielder Viv Solomon-Otabor the DW. “When we started the second half, there was another alarm. This time we waited about 50 minutes. And that wasn’t the last time the game had to be stopped,” said the 26-year-old Briton. “It was annoying because when you’re playing you’re focused on the game. At the same time I thought, ‘It could be dangerous.’ Four hours and 27 minutes after the kick-off, the game ended with a 2-1 victory for Kharkiv.
People should think about the future
The Ukrainian Premier League resumed play in August to distract people from the horrors of the Russian invasion. Sixteen teams have started the season – all from cities far from the frontlines of the war. Even so, there is a constant threat that Russian missiles might land not far away.
Soccer player Viv Solomon-Otabor stayed in Ukraine despite the war
The 2021/22 season was canceled after Russia invaded, and there was no champion. However, then-leaders Shakhtar Donetsk, who have not played in their native Donbass region since the conflict erupted in eastern Ukraine in 2014, received the Ukrainian FA’s only Champions League spot.
During the war, Ukraine also failed to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar. But now, more than seven months after the invasion began, Ukrainians can watch football in the national league again. For safety reasons, however, the games will take place without an audience – but fans can at least follow them on television and on YouTube. President of the Football Union of Ukraine Andriy Pavelko hopes this will help people in the country “think about the future”.
Athletes show support
British-Nigerian footballer Viv Solomon-Otabor joined the Ukrainian league in January 2021. The former Wigan Athletic player was recovering from injury when he signed for Ruch Lviv.
During the 2021/22 winter break, the team prepared for three weeks in Turkey. Solomon-Otabor had taken a few days off at this time to visit his family in England. For his first competitive game, he returned to Lviv before the start of the Russian invasion. “I didn’t think for a second that anything was going to happen. It was a shock to me and everyone else and we had to find our way home,” he says. Players received instructions on how to reach the Polish border. After waiting several hours in a crowd of panicked people, the midfielder was able to enter Poland, from where he flew back to England.
The players of Shakhtar Donetsk step onto the pitch with the Ukraine flags hanging from their necks
Although world football’s governing body FIFA had advised foreign players to terminate their contracts due to the war, Solomon-Otabor decided against it. Also because he can get the playing time he needs in Lviv. And he’s happy that sport is helping the country stay positive to some extent despite the war. “Football allows everyone to come together to support their country and show their appreciation for the country and the soldiers who are fighting,” said the 26-year-old.
A minute’s silence will be observed at the start of each game to commemorate all those affected by the war and to honor the military and first responders. Many football clubs have raised funds through charity matches across Europe. Solomon-Otabor thinks it is important that league play has resumed in Ukraine, even if it currently has to take place in front of empty ranks. “It reminds me of the time of the COVID-19 measures,” he says. “It would be great to have fans in the stadium. But the most important thing is to see everyone play. You have to give the country credit for finding a way to keep the league going.”
Adapted from the English by Jörg Strohschein