In an interview with the German newspaper Hamburger Abendlblatt, Dynamo Kyiv President Ihor Surkis spoke about life and football in Ukraine during the war, the choice of a home stadium for European Cup matches, and shared his expectations for the opening match of the Europa League main round against Lazio.
Ihor Surkis- Mr. Surkis, on Wednesday, Dynamo Kyiv will play Lazio Rome at the Volksparkstadion stadium. For the last game of Kyiv in Hamburg in 1983, your club comfortably flew three hours by plane. How is your trip going this time during the war?
- Unfortunately, we are all going through a time when we don't even have to think about comfortable travel. Ukraine has been repelling Russia's barbaric attacks on our cities, on our women and children for more than two and a half years. Our soldiers, our heroes-defenders, many of whom are fans of Dynamo Kyiv, are dying. All civilian airports in Ukraine are closed, and the teams are traveling for more than a dozen hours by bus and train. To get to Hamburg, our team has to use all types of transportation - train, bus and plane. In total, our trip from Kyiv to Hamburg and back will take more than 15 hours one way.
- It will take a lot of time to get to Hamburg. Have you thought about finding an alternative location closer to the border with Ukraine?
- During the two and a half years of war, we hosted matches in many European cities. Polish Lodz, Krakow, Lublin, Romanian Bucharest. Hamburg will become our fifth "home" stadium in European competitions. It would be more correct to say "host stadium", because we have only one home - Kyiv, Ukraine. Returning to your question, of course, first of all we are considering cities with a large Ukrainian diaspora. We need support at home games, we need our Ukrainian fans. And here, it's not so much about supporting the team as it is about the positive emotions of Ukrainians who became refugees and went to Europe: whose homes were destroyed by Russian missiles, whose husbands and sons are now fighting for Ukraine's victory at the cost of their own lives.
Football exists for the fans and for the sake of the fans. At our matches, Ukrainians forget about the terrible war at home for at least a few hours and switch to positive emotions. They get to know each other, communicate with each other... for a few hours they feel at home, you know? There is a large diaspora of Ukrainians in the part of Germany where Hamburg is located. So we decided to play there so that they could attend a match of the Ukrainian team and cheer for us.
- So far, ticket sales are not going as fast as you would like. How many spectators do you expect at the Volksparkstadion on Wednesday?
- Let's talk objectively: "Hamburg is a legendary German club, and the fact that they are in the second Bundesliga is a mistake. Nevertheless, even the second German Bundesliga is ahead of many European championships in terms of its level. The second Bundesliga has great attendance, great teams, strong competition, and quality players. It is objectively difficult to persuade a German fan to come to their stadium for a Europa League match where a Ukrainian team and, for example, a Latvian or Czech team are playing.
I'll tell you honestly - those matches for which Dynamo could sell a decent number of tickets, we will play away: "Roma, Galatasaray, Real Sociedad, Hoffenheim. Famous clubs with their own army of fans who follow them all over Europe. Perhaps the strongest opponent who will come to Germany is Lazio for the first round match. We hope to see a lot of fans at this game. Otherwise, we have taken all the necessary measures to attract the audience to the match. One of the most noteworthy is the signing of an ambassadorship agreement with the legendary Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko, who is, to put it mildly, a stranger to this city.
Wladimir is the leader of millions of people's opinions, people are drawn to him as a professional, as an idol. We hope that many will follow his example and go to the stadium on Wednesday.
- Many people in Germany have already gotten used to the reports about the war against Ukraine. Is it possible to get used to the war if you live in Kyiv?
- It is impossible to get used to the war. People in Ukrainian cities go to the bunker several times a day during air raids, because you never know which civilian object will be the next target of Russian terrorists. Sirens sound almost every night in Kyiv, and people live every day with anxiety. As for other countries, the whole world should know about the barbarism that the Russian military is doing to our country every day. Europe understands that Ukraine is holding back Russia, that it is a shield for its world. Understand that if Ukraine surrendered, the aggressor would have moved on... I don't even want to think about it. That is why we are grateful to all civilized countries for their financial and humanitarian assistance to our country, for your understanding and support.
- What is the daily life of a football club during the war? Does your team usually train in Kyiv? For example, where will the away matches with Donetsk take place?
- It is difficult for football to develop during the war. The owners of football clubs are literally saving our Ukrainian football because they did not abandon their teams in a difficult moment and continued to invest in the development of clubs and football in general. When we talk about a football club, we are talking not only about the team. We are talking about the academy where hundreds of children live, study and train. We are talking about the office and the system that employs hundreds of professionals. We are talking about the infrastructure that needs to be maintained, protected and developed. "Dynamo trains in Kyiv, plays in Kyiv, and even despite the 18-hour travel time for European Cup matches, they will play league matches in Kyiv as well. For the sake of our fans, for the sake of our families.
Championship matches are interrupted if an air raid alarm sounds, and teams, journalists and fans head to the bunker. Not a single person remains in the stadium until the alarm is canceled.
Currently, every Ukrainian stadium that hosts championship matches is certified to have a bunker and all the necessary amenities in it: toilets, electricity outlets, water, food, etc. For each stadium, the authorities allow a certain number of spectators that the stadium's bunker can accommodate. For example, our Dynamo stadium in the center of Kyiv has a capacity of over 16,000 spectators, but we sell only 1,700 tickets for matches. Our bunker can accommodate this number.
As for the matches with Shakhtar, they will also play their European Cup matches in Germany, in Gelsenkirchen. For his home matches in the Ukrainian league, he chose Lviv, a city near the Polish border.
- How often do you need to go to the bunker?
- Every time we realize that ballistic missiles or enemy drones are flying. Every time we realize that our lives are under threat.
- In many cities in eastern Ukraine, normal life is impossible. How is it in Kyiv?
- Kyiv is calmer now than it was in the first year of the war, when Russian troops were a couple dozen kilometers away. Russian drones and missiles are constantly targeting Kyiv, its energy and industrial infrastructure. They are trying to throw the capital of Ukraine and thus other cities of our country out of balance. Missiles hit anywhere: residential buildings, hospitals, and kindergartens. Russia wanted to bring the "Russian world" to Ukraine. Instead, it managed to unite Ukraine and Ukrainians. The people became united. It has become a fist that strikes back. While one part of Ukrainians is fighting the Russians on the battlefield, the other part is rebuilding infrastructure, making financial donations, and helping our soldiers in every way possible.
The whole world was shocked by the news of the attack on the largest children's hospital, Okhmatdyt, and you probably remember this shock. Half the city came to clear the rubble together with the special services. Ordinary people from neighboring districts brought medicine, clothes, food and water. We could not stay away either! FC Dynamo (Kyiv) and the Surkis Brothers Foundation, which my brother and I founded, are completely rebuilding and restoring the center for orphan diseases and gene therapy for children that was damaged during the Russian attack. All organizational expenses were covered by us. Children are our future, there will be no Ukraine without them. Hitting children with shells... I have goosebumps... It was not people who did this! You can't even call them animals!
I remember how in the first year of the war they hit a kindergarten with a bomb! Can you imagine? On a kindergarten where children under 3 to 5 years old spend their time! When I learned about this, I immediately set a task for all club structures: we sat down and thought about how we could help. As a result, we built this building from scratch. It was the same with the hospital in Chernihiv region. Listen, we, those who are not at the front today, have to do everything to help our soldiers win this victory! Otherwise, you can spit in the mirror when you look at your face. This is my position.
- Your team also includes legionnaires from Colombia and Panama. Are they not afraid at all?
- The fact that they came to us is the result of the work, convictions and negotiations of our selection and coaching staff. Listen, everyone is afraid to live in a warring country! But not everyone finds the strength to live here. Especially to move here. The fact that Ceballos and Guerrero agreed to join Dynamo is respectable. They are real men! Ceballos also brought his family here. Guerrero came to us from Zorya, which is also based in Kyiv, and he is already reacting more calmly to what is happening.
- Before the game in Hamburg, Hamburg fans sharply criticized their own club for cooperating with Dynamo Kyiv, as they say that Kyiv fans have right-wing radical tendencies. Were you surprised by the protests?
- I was very surprised by these protests. I respect Hamburg fans, but these protests are unfair. Football club Dynamo Kyiv has never in its history been found to be discriminatory towards anyone, including players, club staff and ordinary fans. Moreover, I believe that our club has been an example of a multicultural football community for many years. Representatives of South America, Africa, Asia and various European countries have played and are still playing for Dynamo.
All former Dynamo players speak with warmth and respect about their time spent in Kyiv, recalling those times with the attention and care they were surrounded by at our club. Moreover, Dynamo has repeatedly participated in public campaigns to combat racial discrimination. Among other things, the slogan Say no to racism was placed right in the center of our team's jerseys for several seasons.
- Hamburg fans are not the only fans who criticize right-wing tendencies among Dynamo fans. How big is Kyiv's problem with allegedly right-wing fans?
- There have been some isolated incidents at the stadiums involving the behavior of a very small number of fans. But they do not reflect the position of the club and its efforts to ensure tolerance and equality! As we have already said: for more than 25 years, Dynamo football club has been actively involved in the public life of our country, implementing numerous social and humanitarian projects aimed at supporting children, people with disabilities, people affected by the war, and disadvantaged groups.
That is why I believe that all the accusations against Dynamo Kyiv regarding racial discrimination are unfair and untrue, as our club always places humanity and tolerance in the first place.
- What efforts have you and your club made against fans who are right-wing extremists?
- In the case of these isolated incidents, our club always contacts law enforcement and conducts a personal investigation. Fortunately, they are not that frequent.
- You are a Jew yourself. Has your religion ever been a subject of controversy among Dynamo fans?
- In Ukraine, in principle, there is no such problem as disrespect for nationalities or religions. We have a modern nation that supports European values, especially tolerance. Among other things, let's not forget the terrible facts of history. We remember what the Holocaust was, we remember how many Jews died in Kyiv during the occupation by the Third Reich. In the northwestern part of Kyiv, there is a tract called Babyn Yar, where up to 200,000 people were shot between 1941 and 1943. I'm sure that 99% of the population hates anti-Semitism and everything related to hatred of other nationalities.
- Finally, about football: what do you expect from the game against Lazio on Wednesday?
- Dynamo has gained good form, held a competent pre-season training camp and approached the start of the season in a quality manner. We had a difficult series of 6 matches in the qualifiers and were just one step away from the desired result. I believe that we were in no way inferior to Salzburg and could have passed them, but fortune turned away from us. It's okay, as they say - this is football! We have a young, ambitious coach, quality players, so I, as the president of the club, as its fan, see the only desired result - a victory over Lazio. Our opponent is a two-time Italian champion, a representative of one of the four strongest club national leagues, so the match will be very difficult for us. But I believe in my guys, as does the whole country.
- Will you be at the stadium in Hamburg?
- I try to always be with the team during important matches.
- Do you remember the quarterfinal game of the Champions Cup between Dynamo and Hamburg in 1982/1983?
- I was at that match in Kyiv. Unfortunately, we lost 0:3, and we lost minimally on the road. But we were eliminated in the quarterfinals by the team that eventually won the Champions League that season. I believe that these matches could be called the early final of the Champions League that season. Our teams have a great history!
