The friendly tournament "Together to Victory!" dedicated to the upcoming Independence Day of Ukraine was held at V. Bannikov Sports Complex with the initiative of the Ukrainian Football Association. The main goal of the project is to raise funds for the support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Photo by Pavel Kubanov

The competition was attended by teams from the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine (FTU), journalists' team, Antonov State Enterprise team, Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine team, All-Ukrainian Association of Professional Footballers (AUAFP), Verkhovna Rada team, All-Ukrainian Union of Athletes, and Ukrainian Football Association (UFA). The participants were divided into two groups of four teams each. Winners from each group played in the final match, while second-place teams competed for bronze.

Photo by Pavel Kubanov

Opening the competition, First Vice President of UFA Vadim Kostyuchenko noted that this and other charity tournaments held in various regions of Ukraine with the support of the Ukrainian Football Association are a tribute to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, thanks to whom we managed to preserve our state. "But at the same time, we need to support our soldiers every day because the war against occupiers is ongoing, and together we must work towards a common victory. That's why we named this tournament 'Together to Victory!'," Kostyuchenko emphasized.

Photo by Pavel Kubanov

Head of the All-Ukrainian Association of Professional Footballers Igor Gatullin highlighted in his welcoming speech that all citizens of Ukraine should care for each other during these difficult times: "We believe in our common victory, and therefore this tournament is dedicated to the Armed Forces of Ukraine who defend our state from Russian occupiers. Such competitions are a good opportunity to support one another and support our armed forces. I wish all participants an honest fight, and us all - as quick a victory as possible!"

Photo by Pavel Kubanov

According to the results of exciting football battles, the main trophy was won by the journalists' team, which in the decisive match defeated the Antonov State Enterprise team with a score of 7-2. Third place went to the AUAFP team, which beat the UFA team with a score of 7-4.

Photo by Pavel Kubanov

Congratulating the winners and participants, President of the Ukrainian Football Association, UEFA Executive Committee member Andriy Pyvovarov stressed that more teams are joining charitable football projects of UFA: "Such active participation of the football community and representatives from various fields in charity tournaments only confirms the correctness of the decision to resume the Ukrainian championship, which will start next week. Our military, our mourners, and all the country need football because it raises general morale and provides an opportunity to support the armed forces. I congratulate the journalists' team on their well-deserved victory at the tournament and thank everyone involved for actively supporting our soldiers! Together - towards a complete victory over Russian occupiers!"