A ndriy Shevchenko is thinking back to a summer of joy, promise and kinship that feels a lifetime away. It was 12 years ago that Ukraine co-hosted the European Championship and a continent could, in many cases for the first time, discover the nation’s riches. “That was a happy time for Ukraine ,” he says.
“A country together, smiling people enjoying their love of football. That tournament united people a lot and we felt proud. We tried to show the best of ourselves so that visitors could come and enjoy a beautiful competition.
The memory of that time is like a bright light.” Ukraine prepare to make some noise at Euro 2024 in fight for freedom Read more In 2012, Shevchenko lit the flame with two goals against Sweden at Kyiv’s Olympic stadium. Now, in a meeting room 400 metres away from the scene of those heroics, he is tasked with leading Ukrainian football back through darkness.
Five months ago, he was elected president of its football association and it is no small achievement that, on 17 June, he will be able to watch the national team begin their Euro 2024 campaign against Romania in Munich. Ukraine have had to improvise heavily through the constraints of wartime but they will arrive in Germany with a mission and a message. “This is a very important point in time for us,” he says.
“It’s vital our team, our federation, participates. We can talk about Ukraine and show the country is fighting while also trying to live. It’s such a difficult moment and we.