Destruction and a lot of suffering have long since diminished the relevance of football in Ukraine, a sport which was was very important for the nation before Russia started the war in 2022.
"Unfortunately, football is not number one," Ukraine national team coach Serhiy Rebrov said.
There's no end in sight to the war, but despite the situation in his country, Rebrov is happy to compete at the Euro 2024 this summer. The tournament is a good opportunity to represent Ukraine.
"Ukraine wants to be part of Europe," he said after a goalless draw with Euro 2024 hosts Germany in a tune-up match on Monday. His players will compete for the people in the country, he added.
Special protection for Ukraine's players and staff
Ukraine players and staff will be a few hundred kilometres away from the war, but the team will still be given special protection, German Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser had previously announced.
"Of course we have prepared for Ukraine qualifying for the Euros. We're taking high security measures in close coordination between the federal government, the federal states and the participating nations. We will do everything we can to protect the Ukrainian team and the fans," Faeser said.
Rebrov, meanwhile, trusts the security precautions taken by Germany before and during the Euros.
"Germany will do everything it can to protect not only the national team, but all national teams." He stressed that the host country is Ukraine's "most important partner" in the war against Russia.
Individual protective measures planned
Ukraine will have their Euro 2024 headquarters in the state of Hesse and the local authorities have said that there will be individual protective measures adapted to the situation throughout the tournament.
In cooperation with the federal and state governments, the state criminal investigation offices have reportedly prepared individual threat assessments for each national team participating in the tournament.
"The assessment takes into account the findings on the security situation in connection with the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine," the Hesse Ministry of the Interior said.
Stars Mudryk and Zinchenko can lead Ukraine to last 16
In sporting terms, Ukraine will face Belgium, Romania and Slovakia in the group stage and a spot in the last 16 can be considered realistic for the underdogs.
However, it remains to be seen whether the players will be able to ignore the situation in their home country during the Euros.
Their hopes of a successful campaign will be on Premier League stars Mykhailo Mudryk of Chelsea and Oleksandr Zinchenko of Arsenal. They are expected to lead Ukraine into the knock-out stages and make the nation even prouder.
But the Ukrainians' greatest hope is still a different one: That the war will end and football can become number one again.
