Ukrainian Football World Cup supporters support Poland and England in the 2022 World Cup

Ukrainian Football World Cup

Ukrainian Football World Cup supporters support Poland and England in the 2022 Ukrainian Football World Cup. Many will cheer for allies competing in the competition, which will be overshadowed by the conflict. Football has been a welcome diversion for some Ukrainians from the never-ending air raid sirens, Russian missile assaults, and other brutal realities of war. While interest in the 2022 World Cup may be lower than normal, die-hard fans are looking forward to the event.

Volodymyr Maklyakov, a 26-year-old Manchester City supporter from Kharkiv who now lives in western Ukraine, says that although he hasn’t had “any huge feelings” in the run-up to the big event, he will do all he can to watch the games on Ukrainian Football World Cup. This may be challenging given Russia’s recent targeting of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, which has resulted in power shortages and blackouts.

Related Story: Read this article about Football World Cup.

Maklyakov would have backed his favorite Ukrainian national team if they hadn’t nearly lost out on qualifying after losing a playoff game against Wales. Instead, he’ll be rooting for Poland and England this World Cup, like many Ukrainian football fans will, in thanks for their assistance during the conflict. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, Poland has received around 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees and donated almost $3 billion in relief.

Ukrainian Football World Cup has received approximately $4 billion in military assistance from the United Kingdom. It has also been an effective diplomatic ally. “I am really thankful to Poland because they are assisting Ukraine,” Maklyakov said, adding that the Polish football squad has shown solidarity with Ukraine on several occasions. Poland was supposed to meet Russia in a World Cup qualifier in March. They declined to participate when the captain of the team, Robert Lewandowski, spearheaded a boycott of the game.

Since then, Lewandowski has committed to wear a Ukrainian blue and yellow armband at the World Cup. Former Ukraine captain and coach Andriy Shevchenko presented it to him. Erfan Kudusov, a Crimean Tatar living in Kyiv, says he would back England and Poland because he is “forever thankful” for the kindness shown to his family when they escaped the conflict.

Former assistant to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and longtime Blackburn Rovers supporter Igor Novikov claimed support for Poland is a “no-brainer” since the two countries have a “brotherhood.” “Now, football and politics are quite similar,” said Iryna Koziupa, a Ukrainian sports writer, adding, “We are looking at how each nation acts toward Ukraine throughout the conflict.”

Other teams who are “friendly towards Ukrainian Football World Cup during this conflict,” like as the United States and Canada, will also get Ukrainian backing, according to Koziupa. Iran, according to Koziupa, is a particularly disliked team since it provides military drones to Russia, which have been used to strike Ukraine’s infrastructure. The Ukrainian football organization petitioned FIFA to exclude Iran from the World Cup in October, citing human rights concerns and the country’s sale of arms to Russia.

“People are clamoring for Ukraine to take Iran’s position, particularly considering their alliance with the United States and the United Kingdom,” Novikov added. Shakhtar Donetsk, a renowned Ukrainian club team, has petitioned FIFA to enable Ukrainian Football World Cup to play in the event of an Iranian ban. According to Koziupa, the FIFA and Qatar host country controversies have lowered interest in the competition.

“FIFA pretends there is no war and that people are not suffering all over the globe,” she added, alluding to a recent letter from FIFA to World Cup teams asking them to avoid demonstrations and “concentrate on the game.” If Ukraine had qualified, it would have offered “an chance to inform the world about war via football, like Shakhtar did in the Champions League,” according to Koziupa.

Despite the conflict and the loss of a young coach who was shot while battling Russian soldiers, Shakhtar Donetsk recently played in the European club championship. The team’s home games are held in Poland. Others, though, see the Ukrainian Football World Cup as a straightforward matter of rooting for the greatest team.

Arsen Tartan, a Kyiv-based Arsenal fan with encyclopaedic knowledge of the game, said he “sincerely wishes his Polish brothers success,” but he will not support a specific team. Arsen values club loyalty above all else, so he will cheer on his beloved Arsenal players – new and old – as they represent their respective clubs.