Ukrainian soccer club Shakhtar Donetsk will play a series of charity games on a government-backed "Global Tour for Peace" that will raise money for the country's military in the war against Russia. (More Football News)
The depleted squad has gathered in Turkey to prepare for Saturday's opening match a𒀰gainst Greek league leader Olympiakos. The games will also raise money 🍰for Ukrainian refugees displaced by the war.
"Football diplomacy will help us involve millions of fans around the world in assisting Ukraine, which is really important,"🍬; Ukrainian Foreign Ministe💞r Dmytro Kuleba said Friday.
"By this charity tour, we will continue attracting the world's attention to Russian aggression against Ukraine and raise more funds for the Ukr꧃ainian arm🎃y."
Shakhtar is also♌ set to play Fenerbahce, Hajduk Split and Lechia Gdansk, with other opponents still to be confir﷽med.
Soccer clubs around Europe have been offering to play games against Ukrainian clubs and host youth players after soccer in the country 💞was shut down when Ru🤪ssia invaded in February.
Olympiakos has advertised the game as "Football For Peace – Stop🐓 war in Ukraine.";
Tickets for the match in Pir💞eaus cost🔯 10 euros (USD 10.90).
"This shall be the opening match in a series of friendlies the Ukrainian outfit is going to play against top clubs in Europe a🐲nd the U.S.," the defending Greek champions said.
Shakhtar has not played a comp🧸etitive game since mid-December. On Feb. 26, the league leaders were 💞scheduled to resume the domestic season after a winter break. But two days before their game at Metalist Kharkiv, Russia launched its military invasion and Ukrainian soccer stopped.
Shakhtar typically provides sev🦋eral players to the Ukrainian national team🤡, which was unable to play a World Cup qualifying playoff match against Scotland two weeks ago.
FIFA wants to stage that game in Glasgow in early June. The winner will play Wales several days later for a place at this year's World Cup in Qatar. ꩵFIFA also removed Russia from the playoffs.
Shakhtar has relied on a core of Brazilian players to win 13 league titles over the past 20 years and become a regular in the Champions League. In December, Shakhtar finished last in a Champions League group t🍎hat included 🏅Real Madrid and Inter Milan.
During the war, FIFA changed transfer rules to let players with Ukrainian clubs sign elsewhere. Shakhtar loaned Tetê to Lyon while Junior ☂Moraes, who gained citizenship and played for U💫kraine, went to Brazil to play for Corinthians.
The club's success has c🦩oꦜntinued despite being exiled from its home city Donetsk in 2014, when pro-Russia separatists took control of parts of eastern Ukraine. The team has been playing in Kyiv in recent years.
Nicknamed the Miners, the club is owned by billionaire Rinat Akhmetov and has๊ become a symbol of its home region. The Donbass Arena hosted games at the 2012 European Championship.
The club said during♎ the war it has so far p🐻rovided 1.4 billion Ukrainian hryvni (USD 48 million) in "humanitarian aid to civilians, as well as assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Territorial Defense force in dozens of cities and towns."
