Ukrainian football club Shakhtar and SkyUp Airlines are jointly initiating a series of charity matches to support the country. Funds from tickets and advertising will be donated to the defenders of Ukraine, volunteer organizations, and doctors.
The first match of the series will take place tomorrow — on April 9, 2022, Shakhtar will play against Olympiacos. The sporting event will be in Athens (Greece).
Preliminary schedule of charity matches:
April 9. Olympiacos (Piraeus) — Shakhtar
April 14. Lechia (Gdansk) — Shakhtar
April 19. Fenerbahce (Istanbul) — Shakhtar
May 1. Hajduk (Split) — Shakhtar
«We want to bring more attention to the issues of the war and peace in Ukraine with these matches. To make a statement about the terrible war that Russia has waged against Ukraine, about the suffering and destruction that this war has brought to our country. About peace — the need to end this madness, return to normal life and restore the country,» says Sergiy Palkin, CEO of FC Shakhtar. «Our messages are simple: Stop War in Ukraine and Football for Peace — that's all we have to say.»
«From the very beginning of the war, SkyUp Airlines has been working to make our common victory happen soon: we deliver humanitarian cargo to the nearest airports to Ukraine, carry out evacuation flights, and now we are implementing a charity project with Shakhtar,» says Oleksandr Alba, co-founder of SkyUp Airlines and Join UP!, who is one of the initiators of charity matches. «We are longtime partners with FC Shakhtar and now we have joined forces to be even more useful to our homeland.»
«Football diplomacy will help attract millions of fans around the world to support Ukraine, it is very important. Thanks to this charity tour, we will continue to keep the world's attention to Russia's aggression against Ukraine and raise additional large funds for the Ukrainian army,» says Dmytro Kuleba, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
A series of football matches became possible thanks to the joint efforts of FC Shakhtar, SkyUp Airlines, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. We are also grateful to the representatives of Greece and other countries who responded and supported this idea. From the first day of the war, the Greek people have been providing aid for Ukrainians that were forced to leave the country.
Let’s support Shakhtar and believe in Ukraine's victory!