On September 19, a joint press conference was held in Kyiv between Dynamo Kyiv and its new official partner in European Cup matches, GGBET. The event was held in the Rest Hall of CEC Parkovy and was dedicated to the team's participation in the main round of the UEFA Europa League.
One of the speakers was Dmytro Brief, Vice President of the capital's club, who, in particular, commented on the choice of Hamburg as the city to host Dynamo's home matches in the main stage of the Europa League.
Dmytro Brief- We have come a long way in choosing a venue for our European Cup matches. We considered a lot of options, but the most important principle that we defined for ourselves when choosing a stadium was support.
As you know, we played the first part of the qualifiers in Lublin. The main reason for this was the simplest logistics, the ability to get to this city as easily as possible, so that the team could approach the season in the best possible shape.
When considering our next steps in the European Cups, we started from the fact that the city of Hamburg has excellent infrastructure, a great stadium and a large Ukrainian diaspora. Undoubtedly, we count on the support of our fans. We believe that our team will be supported in Hamburg.
Undoubtedly, we will face various challenges. One of the most important is logistics. But our team has worked quite well, we are trying to minimize all these risks of complicated logistics and hope that the team will be able to prepare for the European Cups in the best possible way.
We are grateful to all the partners who support our club, to all the sponsors who invest in the development of Ukrainian football, especially during the war. Of course, we are grateful to our defenders who enable the sport to develop and our teams to play, which in turn gives millions of Ukrainians both in Ukraine and in Europe the opportunity to receive positive emotions. We are grateful to GGBet for finding the opportunity to finance sports in these difficult times for our country and become our sponsor in the European Cups.
- Last season, Shakhtar played its home European Cup matches in Hamburg. Did you have any communication with Shakhtar's management on this matter?
- Yes, we did. We compete with Shakhtar on the football field. This is natural, because the teams are fundamental rivals. But in wartime, all Ukrainian clubs are united. We talked to Shakhtar representatives and discussed the nuances of holding matches at this stadium as well as at other stadiums. They shared their options, and we talked about ours. There was normal communication.
- Last season, the average attendance of Hamburg in the 2nd Bundesliga was 55 thousand spectators, which is more than Manchester City? What attendance do you expect at Dynamo's matches?
- We have seen these statistics. But we understand that it is one thing when fans come to support their team, and another when a team from another country plays. We understood the risks, we understood that a lot would depend on the tournament we would be playing in. Undoubtedly, if it were the Champions League, the attendance would be much higher. We are currently analyzing ticket sales and hope that the numbers will improve.
- Do you think that Volodymyr Klitschko's ambassadorship will improve the attendance of Dynamo's matches?
- We always hope for full stadiums. I am convinced that the support of a person like Volodymyr Klitschko, who is known not only in Hamburg, but throughout Germany and the world, is important for us. We hope that it will draw the attention of the people of Hamburg to this event.
When considering Hamburg, the club's management talked to Volodymyr, among others. And during the selection of the stadium. Volodymyr was one of those who convinced us that Hamburg is a great place to host European Cups. That's why he supports Dynamo in this promotional campaign, in communication with the local authorities. They are doing a great job, both the local authorities and the stadium staff. We are extremely grateful to them. We are convinced that, given the distance between Hamburg and Ukraine, it would have been much harder for us without their help. They covered many issues. We are grateful to Volodymyr for recommending this city to host our matches.
