The Italian Football Federation and the Association of Italian Referees have announced three Ukrainian referees who were forced to move to the Apennines due to Russian aggression.

Ukrainian referees Svitlana Hryshko, Kristina Kozorog, and Sofia Prychyna, with the help of the coordinator for training Ukrainian referees Nicola Rizzoli, left Ukraine at the beginning of April and are now in Italy thanks to joint efforts by football associations from both countries and Massimo Vacchetto, who as president of the Villa Pallavicini Foundation provided them with an apartment. “When Nicola Rizzoli called me, I didn’t hesitate for a second,” says Don Massimo. “The idea came from Ukrainian Football Association President Andriy Pyvovarov and Luciano Luci, head of the Ukrainian Referees Committee, who helped these girls leave their country so they could find peace and continue refereeing.”

Svitlana, Kristina, and Sofia train daily on the fields of Villa Pallavicini, have already joined the ranks of the Association of Italian Referees led by Antonio Aureliano, and will soon be able to return to full-time work.