Australia’s Extraordinary and Full-Power Ambassador to Ukraine, Mr. Bruce Edwards, paid a friendly visit to the House of Football. The meeting was attended by First Vice Presidents of the Ukrainian Association of Football Anatoliy Demianenko, Vadim Kostyuchenko, Oleksiy Mykhaylichenko, and Deputy General Secretary of UAF Igor Gryshchenko.

Photo by Pavel Kubanov

During the conversation, Vadim Kostyuchenko expressed gratitude to Mr. Ambassador, the leadership, and all the people of Australia for their support in Ukraine's war against Russian terrorists. "It is extremely important for us during difficult times to feel friendly support from Australia. We value this and are proud of our countries' good relations," emphasized the First Vice President of UAF.

Photo by Pavel Kubanov

In turn, Bruce Edwards noted that Ukraine has faced a real catastrophe in the form of Russia's full-scale invasion. "The aggressor wanted to destroy your country’s peaceful life. But judging from the fact that football is still being played in Ukraine, which is one of the attributes of such peaceful life, it did not succeed. And this is your great merit. Football can unite people around the world and help those who need it. A good example of this was the recent Game4Ukraine match held in London, which brought together many people and created opportunities to provide assistance to those affected by the war," noted Mr. Ambassador.

Photo by Pavel Kubanov

In conversation with the Distinguished Guest, representatives of UAF shared their impressions from the performance of Australia's national women’s team, which lost to England in the semi-finals of the 2023 World Cup. In turn, the Australian diplomat thanked for the warm words and wished success to women's football in Ukraine.

Photo by Pavel Kubanov

Also, Bruce Edwards said that he supports the London "Arsenal," where one of Ukraine's leaders plays, Oleksandr Zinchenko. He plans to watch a match of our national team against England together with his son, who, according to him, is a supporter of Donetsk "Shakhtar." We remind you that this game in Euro-2024 qualification will take place on September 9th in Wroclaw, Poland.

Photo by Pavel Kubanov

In memory of the meeting and as a sign of gratitude for support to our country, representatives of UAF presented Mr. Ambassador with a jersey of Ukraine's national team and a traditional embroidered shirt. In turn, Bruce Edwards presented UAF with a jersey of Australia’s national team.