Ukraine midfielder Andriy Yarmolenko, on the eve of the Euro 2024 qualifying match against England, answered questions on the Toronto TV YouTube channel.
Andriy Yarmolenko. Photo: gettyimages.com- Ruslan Rotan is the new coach of the Ukrainian national team. How did the players welcome him to the national team?
- We have welcomed him well, we are working and listening to the requirements of the new coaching staff. Everything is great, because all the guys know what a good footballer Ruslan Petrovych was. He is a good coach and I think he has a great future. Rotan showed this by the results with the youth team. We listen to and follow all the instructions of the coaching staff.
- What is your forecast for the match with England? I know this is a thankless question (smiles).
- No, no, I won't make any predictions (smiles). I am still a footballer, and my job and the job of our team is to make sure that the fans of the Ukrainian national team are satisfied with the result. We will try to do that.
- You are currently playing for Al Ain. How do people in the UAE feel about what is happening in Ukraine? Is there the kind of support you had at West Ham?
- For them, this is something distant. Their country is trying to remain neutral, so ordinary people, Al Ain fans, don't ask me anything about the war, but there are many Ukrainians. About 10 days ago, Serhiy Rebrov and I met with Ukrainians there, and it was very nice to see them all.
- Over the past year, many Ukrainian footballers, including you, have been doing volunteer work. How do you coordinate?
- Since the beginning of the war, we have been trying to raise money together. And every player of the national team, without exception, has done and continues to do so. And not only the national team, Dynamo, Shakhtar, I know this for sure - everyone helps. Everyone tries to help their city in some way. Sometimes, when it's a big amount, we chip in together. If you can afford it, you pay for it yourself.
We work with volunteers to buy what our military need. Sometimes together, sometimes separately, but the important thing is that we all help. The main thing is not to forget who made it possible for us to sit and talk.
- Since Serhiy Sternenko is watching us right now, I would like to ask if the level of Russophobia in the Ukrainian national team is sufficient?
- I think it's at a good enough level.
- I remember how Vitaliy Mykolenko addressed the Russian football player Dzyuba, but he was silent for a year, and then gave an interview in which he said all sorts of nonsense...
- Why do we need to talk about various bad people if we have many heroes and good people in our country whom we should be proud of? I want to talk about those who deserve it. And let the orcs talk about themselves.
- Are there any foreign footballers who help Ukraine: the Ukrainian military, volunteers?
- West Ham players told me they could help, but not financially. They offered to help with the resettlement of our people when many Ukrainians were leaving for the Czech Republic. The players were ready to provide accommodation and food. But I honestly did not talk to any foreign player about who could give money and how much.
- You are from Chernihiv region. Have you been back to your small homeland after the de-occupation? What are your feelings? What did you see?
- Yes, I was, but not in Chernihiv, but in the region, where my grandmother lives, where my parents come from. I went there. Of course, it's very hard to see it: the lights being turned off, gas stations and houses being bombed on the way to Chernihiv. Before, when I visited, both the city and the region were in full bloom, but now it's hard to look at it without crying.
