United Rugby Championship: Zebre send bus to Ukraine to collect rugby players’ families

In an act of solidarity, Zebre Parma sent a bus to Ukraine to retrieve 49 people from a Kyiv rugby club and bring them safely to Italy.

The passengers in the bus that arrived last night in Parma were largely made up of women, children and elderly people who were related to players of the Kyiv RC Polytechnic team.

The players chose to stay and “fight, by choice and necessity,” Zebre president Michele Dalai said.

The link between the clubs started with one of the Ukrainian players watching Zebre and engaging in conversion months ago.

“A frightening drama has engulfed all those kids and their families, the world has turned upside down and many of them are struggling to survive right now,” said Dalai.

Zebre has launched a fundraising campaign after clarifying that all passengers arrived in Parma safely.

“We did what we felt was right to do at a time like this,” the Zebre president added.

“If we say we are a big family, it is in these situations that we have the opportunity to prove it.”

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