Heroic Support Through Sports: Ukraine's Victory

Members of the Special Operations Forces, along with the children of fallen and missing heroes, witnessed an impressive victory of the Ukrainian national team over Iceland with a score of 2:0 in the World Cup qualifiers.
This visit of 120 Ukrainians to Poland was made possible through the collaboration of the Special Operations Forces, the Veterans Association of Special Operations, the Ukrainian Football Association, the Veterans Football Association of Ukraine, and the Sobutski Family Charity Fund.
This initiative is unprecedented in Ukraine and already exemplifies how sports can aid in supporting and rehabilitating military personnel.

CHILDREN OF SERVICE MEMBERS AND THEIR MOTIVATION

“I’m going for you” is a well-known motto of the Special Operations Forces. However, it is equally important that the SSO is a large friendly family that does not leave anyone behind in difficult times.
The military and children attended the national team’s pre-match training, observed the final preparations, and interacted with UAF president Andriy Shevchenko, head coach Serhiy Rebrov, and the players.
The fairytale for the children continued the next day: boys and girls escorted the players of Ukraine and Iceland onto the field, and together with the crowd sang the Ukrainian anthem. Perhaps it was the children's positivity and sincerity that gave the national team strength to secure the win at the end of the match. Photos with the country's best players will become cherished keepsakes for families. In addition to football, participants enjoyed an engaging tour of Warsaw.

POWERFUL SUPPORT

Throughout all home matches of the World Cup qualifiers this autumn, the Ukrainian national team received support from the military. Gathering in the stands, the SSO soldiers passionately cheered for Serhiy Rebrov's team, and the conclusion of the match became a real highlight of the football autumn. Our brave heroes had the chance to relax, experience peaceful life, play football, and hear words of gratitude from legends of Ukrainian sports.
Due to military duties, UAF president Oleg Sobutski was unable to attend the events in Warsaw but made every effort to ensure everything went smoothly.
“The cooperation between UAF, SSO, and AVFU has been successful — our military were present at all three matches,” Oleg Sobutski shared. “With the comprehensive support of Andriy Shevchenko, everything went remarkably well. The most important thing is to see the smiles of the children and the gratitude of the military for their protection and preservation of the country. There are many plans for the future regarding the rehabilitation of servicemen and organizing friendly matches. The people who allow Ukraine to continue playing football deserve the utmost attention and support.”