Viktor Mykita: "Football during war has become a form of rehabilitation for defenders and a foundation for community development."
EURO 2024 Ambassador Arne Friedrich came to Ukraine: meeting at House of Football, visit to amputee team, and seeing off national team
Today, on May 29, with the support of the German Embassy in Ukraine, former German national team defender and EURO 2024 football ambassador Arne Friedrich visited our country.
Today, on May 29, with the support of the German Embassy in Ukraine, former German national team defender and EURO 2024 football ambassador Arne Friedrich visited our country. The visit was in connection with the upcoming European Championship finals in Germany and Ukraine's participation in the tournament.
The purpose of the visit was not only to promote the championship but also to support Ukrainian players and fans.
Arne met with UAF General Secretary Igor Gryshchenko at the House of Football. For the association, maintaining a connection with representatives of the European football community is crucial to inform the international audience about Ukraine's sporting life amid the war and the daily challenges faced by Ukrainians.
Photo by Oleksandr Pilyuhin
"We are grateful to Arne for finding the time and opportunity to visit Ukraine. The support of European football associations and the community is a significant contribution to the development of Ukrainian football. International leaders' attention to our country highlights the situation in Ukraine in the global information space and brings us closer to victory," Igor Gryshchenko said.
Photo by Oleksandr Pilyuhin
Arne Friedrich also visited the base of Ukraine's national amputee football team, which will participate in EURO 2024 in France, and joined a training session with the players.
Photo by Oleksandr Pilyuhin
To mark Arne's birthday, the team presented him with a jersey bearing the symbolic number three, the number under which he played for the German national team.
Following this, Arne met with FC Lokomotiv (Kyiv) director Oleksandr Yehorov and young footballers from the capital club.
Photo by Oleksandr Pilyuhin
As some players of the Ukrainian national team were departing from Kyiv for their training camp ahead of EURO 2024 today, Arne also joined the seeing off at the capital's train station.
Photo by Oleksandr Pilyuhin
"I am grateful for the experience of being here in Kyiv as a football ambassador for EURO 2024. I am taking many impressions back to Germany, especially from the meetings with the children of the Lokomotiv club and the athletes of the amputee team. I am impressed by the unity of the people in these difficult times. Ukraine is part of Europe, and we are happy to welcome the Ukrainian team and its fans to Germany," noted Arne Friedrich.
