The head coach of Shakhtar Donetsk Igor Jovicevich spoke about the preparation for the season, the expectation of the start in the Premier League.
“Okay, I came home again. Ukraine is my second home. I feel great here, in conditions that will allow us to work calmly, in good fields, in free Kyiv. We enjoyed it, so everything is in order, and we can prepare for the start of the championship.
And who hasn't missed football at all? For a long time we missed this, we watched other topics, external and social factors. Because, first of all, we are people. Man wants to be free, to have the right to peace. And now we are not able to be free, to move around the city calmly - all the time you look at the sky, there is always inner excitement. But thanks to our military, who are fighting for all of us, so that we can peacefully and freely move around Kyiv and other cities of Ukraine, thanks to them we can now talk about football. So, through our part - sports, football - we will try to thank the military for the strength they give us. Personally, I say a huge thank you and great respect to them. I know that they are all fans. Someone supports Shakhtar, someone supports Dynamo, someone supports other teams. And we will try to give them a lot of joy so that they are momentarily distracted from their worries.
Of course, we will give ourselves completely on the field, each team in the UPL will do their best, because we play for all the military, we play for the entire Ukrainian people. Yes, we also play for points, because every team wants to win, but at the moment, with all due respect to football, this is all a bit out of the way. The temporary political situation plays a key role. But still, I am a coach and I demand victory from my team. Fans demand victory from us. And we will fight like sports for every point and for every piece of the field,” said Jovicevich.