They say “war is hell,” and no words could be truer in the Ukraine right now, where war has taken over sports. Fighting in the Ukraine has forced Shakhtar Donetsk to relocate their games to Lviv. which is close to Poland’s border, almost 600 miles away.
The war between the Ukraine and Russian separatists has been going on for months and has killed almost 6,000 civilians. Donbass Arena where Donetsk play, now sits empty and is used as a depot and distribution point for supplies of humanitarian aid - a far cry from its glory as a $400M stadium completed in 2009:
Donbass Arena in better times (Photo: @Footygram | Twitter)
Donbass Arena today, damaged by continual fighting in the region (Photos: @FCShakhtar_eng | @panditfootball | @MuchoMasDeporte | Twitter)
A bomb blast ravaged the exterior of the stadium (Photo: sportskeeda.com | Twitter)
The smoking aftermath of a bomb blast (Photo: @A_B_Brightside | Twitter)
At first, the team thought that it would be only a temporary move, but almost a year later, war continues and Shakhtar Donetsk is still displaced.
Players like Ivan Ordets are starting to accept the fact they may not ever get home any time soon.
"It's the first time in my life that I haven't been home for a long time," the 22-year-old defender told The Associated Press, tears welling in his eyes.
"My uncle, my aunt, my dad — they've stayed in the east of Ukraine," he added. "In that way, it's hard and I'm worried for them."
Since the conflict begin, nearly 6,000 civilians (including 63 children) have died and over a million people have been displaced. There has been heavy fighting in Donetsk, and several areas around the city have basically been destroyed because of it.
There were even reports of some players who were unwilling to return because of the constant fighting, for fear of their lives and their families’ lives as well, but eventually stars like Douglas Costa and Alex Teixeira did return to the team despite their misgivings on the situation.
With all that is going on, there is one main reason they continue to play: the fans. The team knows playing the game they love may help take their fans’ minds off the conflict surrounding them.
But for now, a $400 million plus stadium remains empty, haunted by the hope that that one day the team and its fans can return.
"There's a war going on, but you have to give people just a little bit of joy with the games and with victories, so that they believe that everything will be fine," said Ordets.
