‘They will stop the bus and issue draft notices.’ A Ukrainian football club withdrew from the championship due to the mobilization law

The Ukrainian football club “Druzhba” from Myrovka will not be playing in the First League next season, despite having been promoted last season.

Director Ihor Degtyarenko stated that the reason for this decision is the mobilization law, as football players do not have exemptions from conscription.

This information was reported by Tribuna.com.

“From July, people will be stopped on the streets and so on. We cannot ensure the safety of our people; we do not have the mechanisms to exempt them. Unfortunately, the Ukrainian Football Association has done nothing for the footballers. We simply won’t be able to fight this. If a bus is stopped on the way to training or a game, the entire team could be issued draft notices. What are we going to do then? Just because we cannot provide our people with stable work, and at any moment, key players could be taken into the army. There’s no way around it; this is war,” said Degtyarenko.

Degtyarenko added that Druzhba will not be completely disbanded but will take a one-year hiatus.

“To have our place in the Professional Football League saved for a year, at least in the Second League. It’s clear that no one will reserve our place in the First League. Unfortunately, there is no other way out. This will start happening in other clubs too, one hundred percent, come July. You understand that not all footballers want to go to recruitment offices. And we can’t force them, although they are all subject to mobilization. What am I supposed to do about it? We can’t give them a deferment from mobilization; we don’t have those mechanisms. We can’t get them exempted. This is the only reason we’re withdrawing,” said Degtyarenko.

He also mentioned that the footballers will be allowed to look for other teams.

“We suggested that they transfer when the window opens. I think, thanks to their play for Druzhba, they will find places for themselves. It’s better than withdrawing in the middle of the season. Although this is a very painful decision for us because we just won the Second League and were promoted to the First. We have been nurturing this team since amateur football. But that’s the situation in the country,” Degtyarenko concluded.

It was previously reported that footballer Mykola Sirash from Khust was detained by the territorial recruitment center staff. The club appealed to the Ukrainian Football Association (UAF) to address the situation, but they responded that they are not authorized to influence mobilization processes in Ukraine.