Shakhtar Donetsk: "A responsibility to show the world that life in Ukraine continues" (I. Jovicevic)

(Preparing for the 2022-23 season) is our work and we accept this as professionalism, as a very big responsibility: to show the world that life in Ukraine does not stop, but continues. And football is one of the causes giving emotions to the entire country and people fighting for us all. This is very important for us, not only for Shakhtar, but for the Ukrainian Premier League in general," said Igor Jovicevic (CRO), new coach of Shakhtar Donetsk, on 22/08/2022, on the eve of the first match of the 2022-23 Vbet League season that his team must play versus FC Metalist 1925 Kharkiv, on Tuesday 23/08/2022 (kick-off at 13:00 local time, 12 noon CET).

Like all other matches in the Ukrainian championship, the match will be played behind closed doors. It will be held at the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv (UKR), like all the matches the club from Donetsk (eastern Ukraine) has to play "at home" in domestic competitions. The Donbass Arena has been the club's official venue since 2009, but Shakhtar have not played there since May 2014 due to the conflict in the region between the Ukrainian state and…