Roman Kryvyi, Ukrainian video-game salesman, fresh from a football game on a snow-covered field in the suburbs Kyivsat beside a TV in a kebab shop as intermittent city power returned just in time for Tuesday’s World Cup game wales And England,
For the 22-year-old football enthusiast, there was no question about which side to support in the matchup: he remembers how despondent he was – rolling on the floor in despair and on the verge of tears – when Wales took their Dear Ukraine was kicked out of the qualifiers. The hatred has not gone away.
“Only England! England has supported us militarily,” Creevy said, ignoring the fact that both England and Wales are part of the United Kingdom — whose government has generously given Ukraine firepower and other support as it battles Russia’s invasion. Tries to push back. He wants England to go all the way.
With their team not reaching the final this year, many Ukrainian football fans are throwing their support behind European countries that have supported Ukraine’s fight against Moscow’s military, or Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo or Argentina’s Lionel Messi. With great teams like Others simply want to watch top level play because of their appreciation for the sport.
For Ukrainians these days, football is second only to survival in the order of priorities. But sport – as it does in many places around the world – can provide an escape from the hassles of daily life. For players, running around a field can offer camaraderie and churn up body heat, and in this war of words, the saying simply goes on: Life must go on. Watching the World Cup in Qatar gives a sense of connection to the rest of the world.
Like many fans in Ukraine, Kryvyi and team-mate Halyab Kuian, 21, were far from sure they would be able to watch the England-Wales match. Russian military attacks in recent weeks have devastated power plants, rendered internet services uncertain and affected basics like water and heating – in addition to resulting in deaths and injuries.
Just minutes before Tuesday evening’s match, which England won 3–0, Mashrabjan Khaidarov, the operator of the Mazara Cafe kebab-stand, noticed that the lights had come back on in an apartment building across the street, so he turned on the generator. Shut off the outside to power your bulbs and TV, and switch back to the local grid.
Then, even though the power came back on, the internet momentarily went down. The friends, accustomed to daily setbacks big and small, survived the delay until service resumed. He also had to return home at the end of the match due to the wartime curfew of 11 pm.
“At my house. I don’t have internet, so it’s a big problem for me,” said Kuian, an economics student. The only option to go out to watch the match, he said, is to watch it on the small screen of his mobile phone. was.
Despite their keen interest in watching the World Cup, Kuian and Creevy prefer to be on the field themselves.
As night fell, his team joined two others in a fenced-in field in a public park in Irpin, the city that was occupied by Russian forces earlier this year – and their pullout has turned against civilians. exposed the suspected atrocities committed.
In another sign of Ukrainian resourcefulness that has become legendary in their war-torn country, the teams bought and strung up lights to illuminate the field, and powered them with an old – and recharged – car battery on the sidelines. A player got on a motorized scooter to shovel the field as the snowflakes continued to fall.
The timing was that they would have preferred to play at the larger stadium in Irpin, but it was marked by a crater and a nearby cultural center as Ukrainian and Russian forces fought for control of the city.
As for the obstacles in playing football, lack of electricity and other problems, Kui’an is taking them in stride.
“I have to live with it. I know who made it (happen),” he said. “I know that the Russian Federation wants me to live like this.”
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Vasilisa Stepanenko in Irpin, Ukraine contributed to this report.