(28 Oct 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kyiv, Ukraine – 14 September 2024
1. Various of footballers of Zorya Luhansk and Dynamo Kyiv walking out to the pitch
2. Footballers of Zorya Luhansk and Dynamo Kyiv listening to the Ukrainian national anthem
3. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) "Escobar", Ukrainian serviceman of Azov Brigade:
++PARTIALLY OVERLAID BY SHOTS 1, 2 & 4++
"This is probably the first time since the war broke out in 2022 that we have watched live football in the stands like this. The guys (the serviceman) also watch a lot of football, they need it. They (footballers) need to show us how they fight for us here while we fight for them over there (near the frontline).”
4. Mid of the boy holding Dynamo Kyiv scarf and chanting “Dynamo Kyiv”
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kharkiv region, Ukraine – Recent
5. Wide of servicemen playing football
6. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) "Poltava", Ukrainian combat medic of 3rd Assault Brigade:
++PARTIALLY OVERLAID WITH SHOT 7++
"We get together all the time, rent some halls, we don’t have much entertainment here, there’s not much to do, and football is our only joy. So it’s super important, we have a bunch of guys who are passionate about it and want to play."
7. Various of servicemen playing football
STORYLINE:
At soccer games in Ukraine, crowd sizes are determined by the capacity of the nearest bomb shelter.
For the first time since the full-scale war began in 2022, the Ukrainian Premier League is holding a full season with fans present, as martial-law bans on public gatherings have been eased.
Despite the constant threat of airstrikes, Dynamo Kyiv supporters eagerly snap up the 1,700 tickets available for each home game at the 16,000-seat Valeriy Lobanovskyi Stadium.
Many fans are keen to experience a rare moment of calm, free from the country’s traditionally intense sporting rivalries.
As the players walked onto the pitch, all 22 were draped in yellow-and-blue Ukrainian flags, applauded by the onlookers, including servicemen and families with young children.
The league faces numerous challenges, including frequent game interruptions due to air raid sirens, power cuts, and difficult travel conditions for teams.
The country’s soccer tradition dates back to its Soviet past, when it was a soccer powerhouse, producing top-tier players and coaches.
In the 1980s, fan movements often became expressions of Ukrainian identity, defying Soviet authority.
After Ukraine declared independence in 1991, soccer continued to be a source of national pride through years of political and financial turmoil.
Ukraine reached the quarterfinals of the 2006 World Cup and co-hosted the 2012 European Championships.
AP video shot by: Alex Babenko
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