Youth players at the Sporting Kyiv football academy in the Ukrainian team said they were inspired by the men’s national football team for qualifying for the European Championship.
“[It] shows that war does not stop us from pursuing sports,” said 12-year-old Hlib Kochetov.
Artem Mykhailenko, 15, said that seeing Ukraine compete at Euro 2024 will be a moment of pride for the entire nation.
“We need to show what we are truly worth, who we are, and that we are Ukraine, that Ukraine is a great, united, and strong country in many respects,” he said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s 2-1 win over Iceland proved that “whenever Ukrainians face difficulties but do not give up and continue to fight, Ukrainians certainly win.”
Keeping young people active in sports and other activities is also a way to keep their minds off a war that has deeply traumatized families across the country, said Anatolii Kartashov, a coach at Sporting Kyiv.
“They have dreams, they set goals for themselves. Many of them want to become professional footballers, so this is a very positive event,” he said.
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