In one sense Andriy Pavelko feels prepared for the moment Shakhtar Donetsk and Metalist 1925 kick off a new football season on Tuesday. “When our national team played against Scotland in June I cried as soon as the anthem started playing, I just couldn’t believe it,” says the Ukrainian FA president. “And it’s going to be the same this time. Football will be the breath of fresh air that reminds people what we are fighting and dying for.”
Only last Wednesday did Pavelko feel certain the sport would return on the date, one day before the celebration of Ukrainian independence, he had earmarked. That was when the security protocols were finally signed off after exhaustive conversations that were not always plain sailing. Should fans be allowed in? That question was easy enough to answer during wartime. Ought the precise time and location of games be kept secret? That was up for discussion but ultimately rejected. What will happen if and when air raid sirens interrupt play? Nobody can be entirely sure how that will feel but games may be abandoned if they sound for longer than an hour. Referees will confer with military advisers to make that decision.
