Ukrainian team Shakhtar Donetsk began their “Football for Peace” tour with a game played in front of 5,000 fans against Greek side Olympiakos. The charity tour is aimed at raising funds to help people in the Ukraine affected by the Russian invasion.
Wearing the names of heavily bombarded cities on their jerseys, Ukrainian soccer club Shakhtar Donetsk opened the series of charity games with a 0-1 loss at Greek league leader Olympiakos.
“We want to talk about war and peace in Ukraine in these matches. The need to end this madness and return to normal life and to rebuild the country,” said Shakhtar general manager Sergei Palkin.
Shakhtar is also set to play Fenerbahce, Hajduk Split and Lechia Gdansk, with other opponents still to be confirmed. Soccer clubs around Europe have been offering to play games against Ukrainian clubs and host youth players after soccer in the country was shut down when Russia invaded in February.
Shakhtar was already displaced from its original home of Donetsk in 2014.
At Karaiskaki stadium in Piraeus on Saturday, Shakhtar players replaced their names on the back of their jerseys with those of cities bombarded by Russian forces, including Mariupol.
“The names of those cities, where so many people died, will remain forever in our hearts. The guys were crying in the locker room,” Shakhtar captain Taras Stepanenko said. “We thank Olympiakos for giving us the opportunity to play the game... We hope we passed our message against war and for peace.”
Shakhtar’s Italian coach, Roberto De Zerbi, did not attend because he felt unwell a couple of hours before the game and doctors recommended that he stay at the hotel.
Greek foreign minister Nikos Dendias and the Ukrainian ambassador to Greece, Sergii Shutenko, attended the game.
A small section of seats was filled with 176 teddy bears and other children’s toys in memory of the 176 children who, Ukraine said Saturday, have died in the war since Russia’s February 24 invasion.
Brazilian forward Tiquinho got the only goal with a header in the 22nd minute in a game where the score never really mattered.
(Written with agency inputs)