Ukraine Premier League offers fans semblance of normalcy

A shrill noise rang out like a massive whistle as the players of Rukh Lviv and Metalist Kharkiv paused for a moment and looked at the clock inside the stadium. It was the  43rd minute and they were puzzled, why had the referee brought the half to an early end?

But it was not the referee's whistle, but instead the sound of the air raid alert system that has become part of daily life in Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion in February. Immediately the players were ushered into the closest bomb shelter.

"We stopped for around 30 minutes. It was something that I have never experienced before. We went into the shelter in the stadium and relaxed and then we returned to the pitch and continued," midfielder Viv Solomon-Otabor told DW. 

"When we started the second half, there was another alarm. We waited about 50 minutes this time."

And that wasn't the last time the game would have to be interupted either.

"It was annoying to stop because when you're playing you're so focused on the game... at the same time I was thinking, 'this could be dangerous,'" he said.

The game ended 2-1 in favor Metalist Kharkiv – four hours and 27 minutes after kickoff. 

Ukraine gets back to play

The Ukrainian Premier League resumed play this month in a defiant move aimed at helping destract people from the horrors of the Russian invasion. Sixteen teams started the season in cities far away from the front line of the war near the country's eastern border with Russia.

Despite this, there is a constant threat that Russian bombs may not be far away.

The 2021-22 season was abandoned after the Russian tanks rolled in, and no team was declared champion. But table leaders Shakhtar Donetsk, a team that has not been able to play at home since Russia invaded the eastern Donbas region in 2014, were awarded the country's UEFA Champions League spot.

Amid the ongoing invasion, Ukraine missed out on qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. But, with the the invasion into its seventh month, Ukrainians are able to watch competitive domestic football again. It is something Ukrainian Association of Football President Andriy Pavelko hopes will help the country's people "to think about the future."

For reasons of security, games are played behind closed doors with fans only able to watch on TV and YouTube.

A footballer's journey

Solomon-Otabor, a 26-year-old British-Nigerian footballer moved to the Ukrainian league in last January's transfer window. The former Wigan Athletic player had just recovered from injury when he signed for Rukh Lviv.

The club spent three weeks camping in Turkey ahead of resumption following the winter break. He took a few days off to visit his family in England and returned to Lviv for his first competitive game before the Russian invasion started.

"I didn't think for one second that anything would happen. It was a shock to me and to everybody else and we had to find our way home,” he said.

The players were given instructions to reach the Polish border. After several hours waiting to cross in a sea of thousands of panicked people, the midfielder was able to enter Poland from where he flew back to England.

Although football's world governing body FIFA had advised foreign players to cancel their contracts due to the war, Solomon-Otabor chose to continue his career in Lviv because of the guarantee of game time. And he says he is happy to see how the sport is helping the country stay positive despite the war.

"Football is allowing everyone come together to support their country and to show appreciation for the country and the soldiers that are fighting," he said. 

A moment of silence is observed at the start of every game in honor of everyone who has been affected by the war and to appreciate the military and first responders. Many football clubs have also helped to raise funds through charity games across Europe.

And Solomon-Otabor feels it is important that league play has resumed, even it it has to be in front of empty stands, at least for now.

"It reminds of me of during the COVID-19 (lockdown) period," he said. "It would be great to have fans in the stadium. But most importantly, it is good to see everybody playing. You have to give credit to the country for finding a way to ensure that the league continues."

Edited by Chuck Penfold.