Former Ukraine midfielder Yevhen Levchenko spoke about his participation in the Game4Ukraine match.
It will be a pleasure to take part in Game4Ukraine, because the support will be huge from all over the world. I looked at the names of the match participants and it was a fairy tale for me. It's very important that Oleksandr Zinchenko and Andriy Shevchenko organised it all.
No matter what anyone says, it is important to make the whole world understand what is happening in Ukraine. When I talk to some people from the Netherlands now, they ask: "Do you still have a war going on?". I answer that the war is not over, it continues. I understand that information support and the funds we raise are very important.
With the support of United24, this match will be a great event. Although I understand that it will not be a celebration, I hope that people in England and around the world will understand that the war is on. And we need support to defeat the Russians.
We need to give the world the strongest possible message. If we don't, the war in Ukraine will go out of the information field. I would really like people not to forget what is happening in Ukraine, that Ukraine is now a fortress of Europe. I really hope that they will not forget.
I am very happy to have been invited to take part in the match. It is a great honour for me. I understand that I don't have a big name, but we try to do as much as possible in the Netherlands and try to show the Dutch society what is happening in Ukraine.
The fact that Abidal went to Moscow is a great horror and misunderstanding of the situation. They say that footballers are used in such cases, but I believe that this does not relieve the player of any responsibility. When you see Barcelona players greeting Russian fans, it's awful for me. They should have kept quiet.
When footballers are being used, it's stupid of them not to delve into the situation. And when players understand what they are doing and deliberately support Russian clubs by signing contracts, it is unacceptable. We all know that this money goes directly or indirectly to the Russian army. Therefore, those players who do not support Ukraine should not come to Game4Ukraine.
I understand that some of the players who will take part in the match have ties with Russian players. But if you go to Russia in your right mind and then want to support Ukraine, you don't understand anything. So maybe Abidal will look into the situation afterwards and understand something. But it would be unacceptable if he played in Game4Ukraine.
I think the Netherlands supports Ukrainians very well. I saw how they spoke out and helped in the first 6-8 months, it was very powerful. All Ukrainians in the Netherlands understand that the locals help as much as they can.
You can see how much money the Dutch society has raised for Ukrainians. Also, given the role played by the Dutch authorities in this war, I think they are doing a great job. They fully understand that they need to help and go all the way. Prime Minister Mark Rutte has repeatedly said this.
But like in every country, there are people who believe that this is not their war. But if you look at society as a whole, it helps and wants Ukraine to be whole and independent. That is why it is very important to me.
If you look at the information field, every news item used to be about the war in Ukraine. Now it is the third or fourth topic. I would like to see more attention. But I understand that for me, as a Ukrainian, this is personal, and it hurts a lot for every person who is killed.
I am monitoring all the news now, my wife shows me how Kostyantynivka is being shelled and what is happening there. I have friends who come there and show me what my house looks like. It's very terrible and painful, because this is the town where I was born. I really hope that Kostiantynivka will not be given away and I will be able to come back there as soon as possible.
The Game4Ukraine match will take place on 5 August at Stamford Bridge Stadium in London. World football legends will take part in the match, and the funds raised will be used to rebuild the Mykhailo-Kotsiubynskyi Lyceum in Chernihiv Oblast.
Borys Havrylets