The match concluded on a sad 0-0 sporting.

But the stake was not there, Tuesday, August 23, for the meeting between the Chakhtar Donetsk and the Metalist 1925 of Kharkiv.

On the eve of Ukraine's Independence Day and the six-month invasion of the country by Russia, the resumption of the Ukrainian championship acted above all as a symbol of the resilience of Ukrainians in the face of war. .

A highly symbolic match

"For the moment, the teams are not thinking about victory. This resumption of the Ukrainian championship is simply a challenge launched and a reminder that Ukraine continues to exist", explains journalist Andrew Todos, on CNN.

This British-Ukrainian made the trip to kyiv to cover the opening match of the season.

There was no rest following this one though as we made it 80km outside the capital to kovalivka for kolos v returning kryvbas!



In-between appearances on TalkSPORT & CNN we managed to get a quick TV camera cameo before the match itself panned out to a similar story to that at NSK https://t.co/65SJHA9DDt pic.twitter.com/gXIXuAXaAK

- Zorya Londonsk (@zoryalondonsk) August 23, 2022

"It will be a unique competition: it will take place during a war, during military aggression, during bombardments," Andriy Pavelko, head of the Ukrainian football federation, told Reuters, stressing in passing that many people on the front line of the Ukrainian army as well as President Zelensky campaigned for the return of football matches.

Authorities did not skimp on symbols during the day.

Before kick -off, the players of the two teams and the referees entered the lawn wrapped in Ukrainian flags and deployed a banner with the inscription: "We have the same courage".

Players from Shakhtar, whose hometown Donetsk has been under the control of pro-Russian separatists since 2014, wore T-shirts with the words: "Ukraine will win".

Those of Kharkiv, the second city in the country bombed regularly by the Russian army, sported a similar jersey.

Metalist 1925 has also added the emblem of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to its shirt, instead of the traditional sponsor logo.

A moment's silence for those who lost their lives from the footballing Ultras to players and beyond was powerful before Yaroslav Holyk from Azov Batallion performed the ceremonial KO.

pic.twitter.com/hg7CD3GnrO

- Zorya Londonsk (@zoryalondonsk) August 23, 2022

Players observed a minute of silence as the names of Ukrainian towns where people died during the war were displayed on a large screen.

The kick-off was given by a member of the Azov Battalion.

They also waved a special Ukrainian flag, the story of which was told by President Volodymyr Zelensky in a televised address.

During President Zelensky's video message commemorating Ukrainian Flag Day & the UPL restart today he recalled the story of Ukrainian Canadian Danylo Myhal who invaded the pitch of 1976 Olympic Games with a 🇺🇦 flag



That very same flag was raised at the Olympiyskyi today https:// T.co/0bazhz7ftz pic.twitter.com/gdddqugibe

- Zorya Londonsk (@zoryalondonsk) August 23, 2022

This object belonged to Danylo Myhal, a Canadian of Ukrainian origin.

During the Montreal Olympics in 1976, the latter had run on the field carrying the flag during a match between the Soviet Union and East Germany.

Dressed in an embroidered shirt, he had danced a Ukrainian folk dance before being arrested.

"(Myhal) has always dreamed of bringing his flag to Ukraine and today it finally happened," the president said before kick-off.

"He is now hoisted to the opening of the Ukrainian football championship."

Drastic safety measures

If the goal was to show that life continues for Ukraine in a semblance of normality, the atmosphere was far from being "normal" for this match.

Ukraine remains under martial law and major public rallies have been prohibited in the capital for fear of Russian bombing as the party of independence approaches.

In the huge Olympic stadium in kyiv, the stands, designed to accommodate 65,000 people, were empty.

Spectators are not allowed to attend matches to limit the risks.

Each meeting must be approved in advance by the military administrations.

"The presence of representatives of local military administrations, medical teams and the state emergency service is mandatory," said Vadym Gutzeit, Minister of Youth and Sports, during the presentation of the protocol.

The matches will also all take place in the kyiv region and in western Ukraine, the places farthest from the front line.

The stadiums will have to have air-raid shelters capable of accommodating the players, their staff and the referees in the event of air raids.

If the inaugural match took place without the sound of the sirens, that between Rukh Lviv and FC Metalist of Kharkiv on Wednesday August 24 was interrupted before it even started, the players taking refuge in the bunkers.

Football in Ukraine, 2022: players from Rukh Lviv and Metalist Kharkiv together in an underground bomb shelter as air raid sirens go off ahead of kick-off in Lyiv.

https://t.co/ZUtOdqfXhC

- Colin Millar (@millar_colin) August 24, 2022

Absentees

Two elite clubs will not return to competition immediately, with the agreement of the authorities: Desna Tchernihiv, which notably participated in the Europa League in 2020-2021, refrains from returning to the league, its stadium having been completely destroyed by bombing.

FC Mariupol will not be there either: the port of Mariupol on the Black Sea was conquered in May by Russian forces at the cost of much destruction.

Crater from a Russian missile at the Yuri Gagarin stadium in Chernihiv.

Amongst the Biggest I have seen.

#Ukraine pic.twitter.com/sh2jmqtpow

- Tim Judah (@Timjudah1) April 11, 2022

Others absent: foreign players.

Fifa having given the possibility to foreign players and coaches playing in Ukraine and Russia to sign contracts elsewhere without waiting for the official transfer period, few of them will return to the country to compete in the championship.

According to Zorya Londonsk, the Ukrainian football news site founded by Andrew Todos, only 18 foreign players had returned to their Ukrainian clubs as of July 17.

The chaktar, with its tradition of contingent of Brazilian players, is particularly affected.

Even if the matches are held behind closed doors, this sporting dynamic remains essential in the eyes of the Ukrainians who testified to AFP: "It shows that the war will not stop us", explained Maksym Scherbyna, 35, a fan of Dynamo Kyiv.

Another supporter, Denys Lazarenko, 41, assured that Ukraine "needs a lot of football", which "unites people".

The summary of the

France 24 week invites you to return to the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news everywhere with you!

Download the France 24 app

google-play-badge_FR