From September 6th to 10th in Montenegro, the European Esports Championship 2022 for eFootball will take place. Representing Ukraine in these competitions is Vitaliy bydbprosche Lytvynov, who won the national selection tournament held at the end of July at the FC "Ruh" academy in Lviv.

The esports athlete recalls his success in the qualifying tournament, analyzes the format and opponents for upcoming matches, shares how the war has marked his life, and admits that if he is successful, he plans to use any prize money to help Ukraine.

— Vitaliy, at the beginning of September you will participate in the European Esports Championship 2022 for eFootball. What does participating in such competitions mean to you?

— Being part of the national team is a great honor for me, especially during these difficult times. Winning the national selection and getting the opportunity to represent Ukraine at the European Championship during wartime means personally showing and conveying to European colleagues what is happening in our country.

— You won your ticket to the European Championship in a qualifying tournament that took place in Lviv in July. Were these your first competitions since the start of the full-scale war? How difficult was it to return to playing given what is happening in the country?

— I want to thank UAF Vice President Denis Davydov for organizing the qualifying tournament. For players, these were their first competitions of this scale, so everyone was quickly getting into shape and playing hours upon hours in eFootball. However, the situation in the country certainly had its impact; there is psychological pressure. Safety and providing for family needs have become top priorities.

— How would you generally evaluate the qualifying matches, where you managed to defeat Igor Lyubchak and Maxim Andriasyuk in decisive series? Was there a good lineup of participants in Lviv, or did the war prevent everyone from gathering?

— In my opinion, 80% of Ukraine's strongest players came to Lviv. The only missing player was Sergiy Marchenko from the national team. I had one of the most challenging possible tournament paths. In group play and in the round of 16, I faced Oleksii Bogdiazh and Vladyslav Vasylyshyn, whom by experience can be confidently placed among Ukraine's top eight players. In the semifinals, there was a showdown with Igor Lyubchak — a national team player and participant in last year's European Championship in Kryvyi Rih. The games were even, and the one who endured their weak moments won. And in the final, I faced Maxim Andriasyuk. We had already played each other for the right to become the main player of the national team back in 2019. Again — five matches, drama, extra time, penalty shootout... A full set for a series that was worthy of a final.

— You are from Dnipro. How has your life and the life of your family changed since February this year when Russia launched its large-scale invasion? After all, the Dnipropetrovsk region is under regular shelling by Russians, and Dnipro has taken in a lot of refugees from neighboring regions...

— The events of February 24th were shocking for me, as I believe they were for all Ukrainians. I could not believe that the Russian leadership decided to wage war against our country. It is a great tragedy and misfortune, an awful crime. In the first days, I was considering what to do next and how to secure my family. So in early March, I sent them to Lviv, and later they left for Poland. For half a year, I did not see people close to me. When the family left, my younger son could barely crawl, but now he is already taking his first steps.

My attitude towards the war is extremely negative. From its very beginning, I have been trying to help refugees and our defenders on the front lines. For example, I helped Oleksii Bogdiazh and Maxim Andriasyuk leave Mariupol. I also helped them with housing and everything necessary for living.

Photo by the UAF press service

— Already half a year, Ukraine has been fighting Russia for its integrity and independence. In your opinion, have people's lives and mentality changed during this period?

— I think that the life of Ukrainians is definitively divided into "before" and "after." Mentally, the nation has changed, but it is very important not to lose this calling. Many who went abroad note how good things were in our country before. It's a shame that many things are only appreciated in comparison.

I personally did not want to leave the country. Everyone must make their own choice. If you are not ready to fight, you should do everything possible to stop the war. Help refugees and people who were left with nothing. You can be useful without a gun in your hand as well. The war also stripped masks from people. It became clear who is who.

— How are you preparing for the European Championship? Tell us about your training day...

— I am preparing directly in Montenegro. I train every day, both online and offline. Maxim Andriasyuk helps me with preparation, he can give some hints or encourage me. Sometimes you make simple mistakes during the game that you don't notice yourself. He can point them out. We can also discuss new elements of the game, new tricks. I am generally for having a player sit on the gaming arena and an assistant/coach next to him, as it happens at FIFA tournaments. This would significantly increase the quality of games.

— What do you think about the tournament format and its specifics? How do you feel about the level of opponents in your group?

— The tournament format is classic: a group stage followed by playoffs. It surprised me that matches within groups are played to one win only. In my opinion, one match between players — this is a lottery. And personally for me, it's a minus because the second and third match I play much stronger than the first. So we will have to work very hard to get out of the group.

In our group are Austria, Belgium, and France. France — is the favorite, represented by an ex-player of London's "Arsenal," a consistently strong professional player. Austria and Belgium are also represented by their strongest players, with whom our guys had to deal at last year's Euro and emerged victorious. But those matches were very tough. I set myself the task to get out of the group, and then fight until the end. Psychologically, I am ready for this.

— You will represent Ukraine at the European Championship. The whole world is now following our country closely. What message do you intend to leave for the international community about our country?

If I manage to win prizes, they will go towards helping Ukraine. Also, I asked to organize a stream so that people have an opportunity to make donations to our country. I bought many Ukrainian flags and some football shirts. On the flags there will be messages with calls for help to Ukraine, to stop the war.

I also plan to ask everyone participating to sign them all, so that later together with the Federation of Esports in Ukraine and the Ukrainian Association of Electronic Football we can organize charity auctions and collect funds to help our people end the war as quickly as possible.