Sport has given Ukrainian veterans maimed in the war with Russia “new dreams and goals to aspire to”, Ukrainian football legend Andriy Shevchenko told AFP.
Some of these veterans are part of the Ukrainian team currently participating in the Euro 2024 amputee football championship in France.
Shevchenko, winner of the Ballon d’Or in 2004 and son of a “soldier”, is president of the Ukrainian Football Federation (UFA) and created the project to help amputee veterans in June last year.
Shevchenko, 47, says Ukrainians owe a huge debt to veterans, who have fought at great cost to challenge the power of the Russian army since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion in February 2022.
“Sport allows them to feel alive even in difficult times,” Shevchenko told AFP in an email.
“Sport is a powerful tool for the physical and psychological recovery of veterans, and also gives them new dreams and goals to achieve.
“Veterans are the reason we are all alive today and have the opportunity to continue developing Ukrainian football.”
The former Dynamo Kiev, AC Milan and Chelsea striker says there are around “70,000 amputees” currently in Ukraine and “the majority are war veterans”.
“UFA has established as one of its strategic objectives to help them return to active life through football.
“We are currently developing a project roadmap for the next five years on developing amputee football across the country.”
There are currently teams in Lviv, Cherkasy and two in Kiev, including Shakhtar Donetsk.
At the moment, all eyes are on the amputee team – which has “four to five” veterans – competing in the Euro 2024 championship and which began its campaign with a 1-0 defeat against hosts France in Evian-les -Bains, on Saturday. .
The veterans are a great inspiration to the civilian amputees on the team, coach Dmytro Rzhondovskyi told AFP.
Likewise, though, Rzhondovskyi says civilian actors have their own role to play in helping traumatized veterans.
“Civilian players are proud to play with injured veterans,” Rzhondovskyi told AFP by phone from Kiev before the tournament.
“For them it is unbelievable. (Civilians) say ‘they are our heroes, our heroes are our soldiers’.
“It’s so unbelievable for the civilian players.
“However, they must also help our soldiers return and adapt to this life.”
– ‘Traumatic injuries’ –
Rzhondovskyi admits that Ukraine are in a difficult group for the nine-day tournament in which games last 50 minutes with six outfield players and a goalkeeper, who must be missing an arm, as well as six substitutes.
However, morale was boosted by Oleksandr Usyk’s world heavyweight title win over Tyson Fury two weeks ago.
“Usyk is our spirit, he is the spirit of Ukraine, our power and we are very proud of Oleksandr,” said Rzhondovskyi, who played football with Usyk when they were young.
“His victory was very important for our country.”
Rzhondovskyi, who also coaches the women’s amputee team, knows what it takes to win a title.
The former Dynamo Kiev academy player won the Mundiavocat, the Lawyers’ World Cup, in Barcelona in 2018, scoring in the semi-final and final.
The 35-year-old, born in Prague to a Ukrainian soldier, says he has not yet fought in the war, so this is his way of contributing to his country’s efforts.
“They are heroes, I am not a soldier, but for me I am a Ukrainian who helps soldiers and soldiers adapt to life after their traumatic injuries,” he said.
“For me, I’m honored to know these people.”
Rzhondovskyi, who along with a bar-owning friend prepared meals for soldiers at the start of the war, said he is passionate about his work.
He is also expected to oversee the women’s amputee team at the World Cup in Baranquilla, Colombia, from November 2-11.
However, he’s not sure he’ll get there.
“The project is very important to me because right now I’m not at war, I’m in Kiev… but I don’t know where I’ll be tomorrow,” he said.
“It’s a difficult situation, because I may need to go to war.
“It’s our home, not Russia’s home, and we want to live in peace in Ukraine, our land.”
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