Paraguayan soccer player José Ariel López, who was ready to join Real Pharma of the second division of Ukrainian soccer, was finally able to leave the country after hours of intrigue that he experienced in the midst of the military operation ordered by the Russian president Vladimir Putin on Ukraine.
After more than eight hours of travel, which the soccer player himself described as “distressing”, Ariel López was able to reach Romania where he will soon take a flight back to Paraguay.
His safe and sound escape occurred after the Paraguayan embassy in Switzerland, which handles Ukraine’s diplomatic affairs as there is no embassy in this country, ensured the player’s rights.
According to Ariel López himself, he was in the city of Odessa, which this Saturday was forced to close its airspace as a result of the Russian armed offensive, so that its flight with which it was going to leave the country was canceled immediately.
“Unfortunately today at 5 in the morning the bombardments have already started here. Russia has already attacked here and all the flights have been cancelled“, the young man told Telefuturo.
Given this and with the support of his own team and the hotel staff where he was, he undertook the long journey along with about thirty women and children towards the border of Moldova.
After being out of danger of being hit by a bullet or missile, Ariel López contacted his family in the neighboring country and advanced towards Romania bound for the city of Constanza.
“And now go to Paraguay and meet our relatives and from there project the future in football again”, he commented.
The curious thing about the case is that the young man from 23 years ago he had arrived in Ukraine on February 5 to train and later sign a contract with Real Pharma but the war cut short his plans.
Now Ariel López will have to plan his future in football again but for now he can be satisfied that he came out of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia alive, which has left at least 198 dead soldiers and civilians.