Andriy Shevchenko: ‘Our mentality, Ukraine’s strong character: we’re always going to fight’
Andriy Shevchenko is now Ukraine FA president and has been given the huge task of leading his country’s football out of darkness
Andriy Shevchenko is thinking back to a summer of joy, promise and kinship that feels a lifetime away. It was 12 years ago that Ukraine co-hosted the European Championship and a continent could, in many cases for the first time, discover the nation’s riches.
“That was a happy time for Ukraine,” he says. “A country together, smiling people enjoying their love of football. That tournament united people a lot and we felt proud. We tried to show the best of ourselves so that visitors could come and enjoy a beautiful competition. The memory of that time is like a bright light.”
