Andriy Shevchenko, one of the most important figures in Ukrainian sport, called on Wednesday for the Russian invasion to stop and urged that more help be given to his country. The former Milan and Chelsea footballer, who played 111 matches for the Ukrainian national team, spoke to Sky Sports about the situation your country is experiencing.
“First of all, I want to ask my country, the army, the president, to do everything possible to defend my country of Russian aggression. I am very proud to be Ukrainian. This is a very difficult time for my nation, for my people and for my family. There are people dying, children dying, missiles aimed directly at our homes. We have to stop this war, we have to find some way”, he said.
The former soccer player commented that his mother and sister are still in Kiev, and they are not ready to leave. “I try to talk to them every hour, every 20 minutes. Many things are happening. Kharkiv is being bombed, Kiev is being attacked. There are many cities in Ukraine going through the same thing. My mother and sister, like the majority of Ukrainians, do not want to leave, they want to stay fighting for our freedom”, he said.
In this sense he added: “We need humanitarian aid. The entire European Union is helping Ukrainian refugees a lot, but there are a lot of people who are having to leave their homes. We need medical support, the basic things, that people have a place to stay.”
Shevchenko doesn’t even want to hear about football: “For me it doesn’t exist, I don’t think about it. It’s not the moment. I do not see it. Neither that nor any other sport. Since I wake up I only think about how I can help my country, what I can do. Call my parents, my friends, find out what is happening in Ukraine.”
Regarding the sanctions imposed by FIFA on Russia, Shevchenko said that it is “totally correct”, and that he does not believe it was a difficult decision. “I just want to ask the world for one thing. Please donate. We need medical equipment and medicine, food. Any help you can give us, ”concluded the former soccer player.
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