The new season in the Ukrainian Premier League began with a new tradition — teams taking to the field in the flags of Ukraine

23.08.2022 17:30

Photo of UAF press service

The national championship of the 2022/2023 season started on the Day of the National Flag of Ukraine with a match between Shakhtar and Metalist 1925 at NSC Olimpiyskiy in Kyiv with a unique blue and yellow flag.

Photo of UAF press service

The history of this flag began on July 27, 1976, during the match of the 1/2 finals of the football tournament of the Olympics between the national teams of the USSR and the GDR. In the second half of the match, Danylo Myhal, a Canadian of Ukrainian origin, ran onto the field of the Olympic Stadium in Montreal with this symbol. Danylo danced the hopak and shouted: "Freedom to Ukraine!" In this way, he supported Ukrainian football players - Dynamo players, who made up the majority in the ranks of the USSR national team. And Danyla's patriotic action gave a clear signal to the whole world: Ukraine will never come to terms with the Soviet occupation and will gain independence in the future. And so it happened.

Photo of UAF press service

Before the start of the new football season in our country — in the conditions of a full-scale war — Danylo Myhal handed over the historic flag to the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi. The Head of State played a key role in the revival of football life in our country. And now he handed over this unique flag to the football community — as a symbol of indomitability and bravery of the patriots of Ukraine, as a symbol of the connection of many generations of Ukrainians, as well as a symbol of bright football victories of Ukraine.

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"Today at NSC Olimpiyskiy, together with Oleg Blokhin and Volodymyr Onishchenko, participants of the match of the USSR national team in Montreal, and the captains of the teams participating in the first match of the UPL special season-2022/2023, we raised this unique flag for the first time in our country. And then he will travel with clubs around Ukraine so that as many of our cities as possible will be inspired by his special energy. In the future, I sincerely believe that Danylo Myhal's flag will definitely be in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Mariupol, Simferopol and Sevastopol. It is symbolic that the first shot at the ball in this match was made by Yaroslav, a soldier of the "Azov" regiment, wounded in the battles for the Kyiv region, who (and together with him and all our soldiers) was applauded by the football players and coaches of "Shakhtar" and "Metalist 1925".

Photo of UAF press service

The new season begins with a new tradition — all teams take to the field in the flags of Ukraine, in the colors of freedom and strength. The football life of independent Ukraine is being revived in the conditions of a full-scale war. The slogan of the tournament is "As long as we play, we are invincible!" and "We are of one courage!" Thank you to the President of Ukraine, the Ministry of Youth Sports, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Police, the State Emergency Service, the UPL, the PFL and the UAF team for the successful preparation and start of the 2022/2023 season! Football in support of the ZSU and for our common victory!" — the president of the Ukrainian Football Association, member of the UEFA Executive Committee Andriy Pavelko commented on the landmark event.