Shevchenko to help restore 'destroyed' hometown stadium
Andriy Shevchenko answered a plea to restore a stadium in the war-ravaged Ukrainian town of Irpin where he played as a child after being moved by the scale of the destruction inflicted by Russian forces. The former striker, who as one of Ukraine's most recognisable stars has worked to raise money and awareness since his country was invaded in February last year, travelled in August to the town outside Kyiv which had been a centre of fighting in the early weeks of the war. A focus of Russia's attempts to encircle the capital, Irpin was bombarded throughout March and was briefly occupied, before Ukrainian forces reclaimed control.
