KYIV
56-year-old Yuriy Vernydub a football coach, the manager of Moldovan champions Sheriff Tiraspol has returned to his homeland in a bid to help restore peace to the region, with professional commitments being put on hold for now.
Vernydub says he is proud Ukrainian and one of those to have shelved professional commitments for now in order to become a soldier and join the fight against a Russian invasion of his homeland.
With political tension boiling over in Eastern Europe, many have been forced to flee Ukraine in the wake of military action sanctioned by Vladimir Putin.
Vernydub, who has been making headlines in the Champions League this season, is heading in the opposite direction as he endeavours to help restore peace to a region that has become the focus of hearts and minds around the world.
Six months ago – on September 21, 2021 – Vernydub oversaw one of the biggest shocks in Champions League history when Sheriff stunned 13-time European champions Real Madrid 2-1 at Santiago Bernabeu.
Having come through four qualifying rounds to reach the group stage, the minnows from Transnistria proved that they could hold their own against the continental elite.
Sheriff were unable to make their way into the last 16, but they did drop into the Europa League on the back of a third-place finish in a group that also included Serie A title holders Inter and Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk.
On February 24 they surrendered a two-goal lead against Portuguese side Braga in the knockout play-offs to eventually lose on penalties and see a memorable adventure come to a close, but within hours of that contest ending the lives of Vernydub and his fellow countrymen changed forever.
The 56-year-old, who admits that he has “no trouble using firearms” told the BBC “My son called me at 4:30am and he told me the Russians attacked us. I knew then that I would return to Ukraine to fight.
“We flew home and landed in Iasi, Romania. I then went by bus to Tiraspol, in Transnistria, with the rest of the team on Friday evening and left for Ukraine first thing on Saturday morning. I enrolled on Sunday. It took 11 hours from Tiraspol to my home in Ukraine, travelling via Odessa, then through Kirovgrad, Kryvyy Rih and then Zaporoje, but I can’t say it was difficult.
“I don’t want to lie to you. As I was returning home, I saw a lot of strong men leaving the country. If they will come back, I’ll be happy.
I understand they left with their families to Moldova, Romania and so on. From our area a lot of men have left… men from Kharkov, Zaporoje, Lugansk, Donetsk. I understood at that moment that I can’t do the same thing. I told myself that as soon as I get home, I’ll go and enrol myself.
