Paulo Fonseca, the previous Shakhtar Donetsk and AS Roma soccer supervisor, and his Ukrainian spouse Katerina, first tried to flee the nation by automobile, together with their toddler and Katerina’s dad and mom.
After encountering gridlocked site visitors, they have been pressured to spend one other night time within the capital inside a resort bunker, earlier than enduring a 30-hour automobile journey by means of Moldova to Romania.
“This conflict is, I consider, one of many cruelest within the story of all the world, as a result of the troopers which can be killing us, they’re speaking the identical language and it is unbelievable.”
“We left all the things in Ukraine,” Katerina added, together with pals and kin who’ve remained within the nation, “All of the locations that imply a lot for us are nonetheless there, so my coronary heart is there and my coronary heart is damaged for all the things.”
Greater than 3 million Ukrainians have fled in a refugee exodus following Russia’s invasion of the nation, in response to the United Nations. To place that into context, it took six months for a million refugees to go away Syria in 2013, almost two years after that nation’s civil conflict started.
Many cities in Ukraine have been devastated, Katerina stated, including that it was essential to cease the conflict and forestall it from spreading to different European nations.
The Fonseca household arrived in Paulo’s residence nation of Portugal on February 28 and are actually working with the Portuguese Soccer Federation as ambassadors of an initiative with Portuguese nationwide soccer golf equipment which goals to assist Ukrainian refugees discover properties and jobs.
After his taking part in profession, primarily with Lisbon membership Estrela da Amadora, the 49-year previous Fonseca first turned a supervisor in Portugal in 2005. He then went on to earn the excellence of finest coach within the Ukrainian Premier League in 2016-17 as Shakhtar Donetsk coach, the place he gained seven trophies in three seasons.
“I am very proud to be a part of this world, to be a part of soccer, what the individuals in soccer are doing, it is wonderful. However I feel we are able to do extra,” Fonseca informed CNN Sport.
“I wish to see the good personalities of soccer defending the peace in Europe. I feel it may be essential,” he stated.
Throughout the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League season, Fonseca’s Shakhtar Donetsk dealt Pep Guardiola’s Manchester Metropolis their first defeat in 29 video games to progress to the knockout phases.
Memorably, he made headlines after that well-known victory when he appeared within the post-match press convention dressed as his childhood hero, Zorro.
A transfer to Italy adopted and after an nearly two-year run with AS Roma, the Portuguese was final yr linked with the highest jobs at English Premier League golf equipment Tottenham and Newcastle United.
Since ending his time at Roma in Could 2021, the supervisor had engaged in numerous talking occasions in Ukraine.
He returned to Ukraine early from a vacation to assist his spouse and household escape.
In an Instagram put up asserting the Fonsecas’ new roles as ambassadors for the Ukrainian refugee initiative, the previous Roma supervisor added that the Portuguese Soccer Federation had “demonstrated that soccer can and must be used as a instrument for social change.”
He appealed to all golf equipment to hitch in solidarity with the initiative.
Katerina expressed her gratitude for the Portuguese Soccer Federation, saying: “They’re receiving with open arms our little younger gamers. It’s a actually massive assist for the youngsters, which misplaced all of the happiness of their on a regular basis lives.”
