The psychological scars run deep but we will not abandon Mariupol FC

Before 24 February, we had everything to look forward to at FC Mariupol. We were struggling in the Ukrainian Premier League but there was a bigger picture: our infrastructure was one of the country’s most developed, and we had ambitions to build a team that would reach the Europa League. In the last four years, we played in the qualifiers twice: we felt we were on the brink of something special.

We had one of the best playing surfaces around, with a new hybrid pitch; our stadium was well kept, with plans for a major redevelopment in 2025, and we had three full-sized training pitches at our base near the Sea of Azov. Young players at our academy could train on artificial turf and our facilities were expanding all the time. Now almost all of it is likely to be ruined.

Last week one of my colleagues visited our facilities for the first time since Russia’s invasion. They are unrecognisable. The windows of the club offices have been smashed, doors broken in and debris scattered everywhere; things get worse when you see the state of our indoor arena. As for our stadium, we do not even know for sure. Locals cannot move around Mariupol without passing through Russian checkpoints and none of our staff have been able to reach it. There are rumours that it has been hit by air strikes, but we can only hope for the best. Realistically everything will have to be rebuilt and our club, a symbol of our city and country, will begin again from scratch.

The evil being perpetrated in our city is barely imaginable and there is only one emotion upon seeing what Russia has done to us: sheer hatred for the murderers who are trying to kill our dreams, freedom and aspirations. When Mariupol was freed from Russian-backed separatists in 2014, our