Oviri Kelvin, Sports Editor, Abuja
Oleh Luzhnyi says he will put his coaching career on hold to defend his country against the Russian invaders.
Luzhnyi, a former player of Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers before he retired to a coaching career with Dynamo Kyiv as an assistant football manager, told Sky Sports through a WhatsApp message that the dream of going to the United Kingdom to further his career has been suspended.
Luzhnyi, who captained the Ukrainian team on 37 occasions with 90 international caps, expressed that the conditions Ukrainians are passing through in the hands of the Russians were terrible.
Notwithstanding, Luzhnyi has vowed to defend the sovereignty of his nation to put an end to the needless loss of lives and war-torn destruction of property.
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He said, “The situation is horrific.
“I want to come to coach in the UK but before anything, I will stand firmly and fight for my people, for my country, and democracy.
“We all hope this will be over soon as innocent lives are being lost and families are being torn apart. A country being invaded and destroyed is all for what? We need to stand together as one and bring to an end this criminal warfare,” Luzhnyi added.
The Ukrainian coach during his active playing days in football, won the league title 8 times with Dynamo Kyiv before joining Arsenal where he won the Premier League and FA Cup.