Ukrainian Premier League is planning on resuming its operation from August despite the ongoing war with Russia with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy giving the idea his approval.
The president of Ukraine’s football federation reportedly held talks with Zelenskyy and the heads of FIFA and UEFA about finding a way to resume men’s and women’s football on home soil.
Ukraine was forced to abandon its domestic league in February after Russia invaded the country which has wreaked havoc in the region.
With the fighting shifting away from Kyiv there is renewed optimism that games can resume.
” I spoke with our President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, about how important football is to distract. From the children to the old people, everyone is focused on the war. Every day they receive information about death, about the impact of the war”.
“We spoke about how football has a very big power to help people think about the future because now people, of course, are not in good mindset. They’re in the word mood. W spoke about how it would be possible that football could help us to think about the future”.
“So we took the decision with the President that we would resume the Ukrainian championship in August. In Ukraine, we will play on every level. So the Premier League, and the first and second professional divisions and the women’s championship.”
The parts of the country that will hold such matches have not been decided as of yet.
The last season of the Ukrainian Premier League had to be suspended due to the ongoing war with Shakhtar Donetsk being declared the champions of the curtailed season.
Ukraine also came close to qualifying for the upcoming world cup, falling short on the final hurdle against Wales.
Russia on the other hand has faced strict action after the invasion with its football team being suspended from the official competitions of UEFA and FIFA putting their participation in the Qatar world cup out of the question.
