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      in Boxing

      Ukrainian boxing champ Oleksandr Onyshchenko killed fighting Russians near besieged city Bakhmut

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      A UKRAINIAN boxing champion has been killed fighting Russians on the frontline.Oleksandr Onyshchenko – who was on the country’s national team – died in combat near the besieged city of Bakhmut.
      Boxer Oleksandr Onyshchenko has died fighting in UkraineCredit: East2West
      The sports champion was killed near the besieged city of BakhmutCredit: East2West
      The 30-year-old’s coach, Dmytro Dubrov, described him as “one of the best boxers” in an emotional tribute.
      He said: “He was one of my best students. 
      “He was like a son to me. I  coached him since he was nine years old. 
      “We went through a very difficult boxing path, he achieved a lot. 
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      “He was one of the best boxers in Sumy region and a two-time champion of Ukraine among young men.”
      Oleksandr’s funeral – attended by military comrades in the Sumy region and broadcast on TV – was held on Wednesday.
      A statement from Ukraine’s boxing federation said: “Oleksandr died near Bakhmut defending the Ukrainian homeland from the Russian enemy.
      “The Boxing Federation of Ukraine expresses its sincere condolences to the family of Oleksandr.
      Most read in Boxing
      “Eternal memory to all those who gave their lives for the freedom and independence of our country.”
      The city of Bakhmut has seen some of the fiercest fighting since the war broke out in February last year.
      Vladimir Putin’s forces took almost 300 days to seize control of the city which has been described as having only limited wider strategic importance to the war in Ukraine.
      Russia pushed forward just 60ft a day, suffered up to 100,000 casualties, and left Bakhmut a shattered hellscape in a painfully slow grinding nine-month advance.
      The city was once home to 73,000 Ukrainians and how has been left in ruins.
      Pictures show burning buildings and totally destroyed streets devoid of all life after months of what has been described as the “bloodiest battle” of the war in Ukraine.
      Ukraine says their soldiers have played a key role in their strategy of exhausting the Russians.
      And they say their current positions in the areas surrounding Bakhmut will let them strike back inside the 400-year-old city.
      The city was immediately on the frontline of the war when Putin invaded on February 24, 2022 – being regularly shelled by the Russians
      But it wasn’t until last August that the Russians made the city its prime target – pouring in troops in staggering numbers.
      Russia have estimated to have suffered up to 100,000 casualties – including 20,000 dead – during the battle.
      Nato officials believe the Ukrainians had been holding the Russians at a rate of five-to-one – meaning they lost around 20,000 men.
      The fighting devolved into brutal hand-to-hand and street-by-street combat – with some reports putting a the life expectancy for those on the frontline to be just four hours.
      Bakhmut had become a highly symbolic battle for both Ukraine and Russia – being dubbed a “meat grinder” and compared to the World War 1 battles such as the Somme and Verdun.
      Russian forces – led by the Wagner Group mercenaries and their deranged warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin – claimed to have captured the city over the weekend.
      Ukraine however remained defiant – and President Volodymyr Zelensky denied the city was occupied while his forces appeared to be regrouping on the outskirts.
      Ukraine’s tactical gains in the rural area outside urban Bakhmut could be more significant than they seem, according to some analysts.
      Phillips O’Brien, a professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews said: “It was almost like the Ukrainians just took advantage of the fact that, actually, the Russian lines were weak.
      “The Russian army has suffered such high losses and is so worn out around Bakhmut that … it cannot go forward anymore.”
      The Institute for the Study of War reports that Ukrainian troops have bunkered down in the city’s southwest on highway T0504.
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      It added there has been a “tacit acknowledgment” from Ukraine that the Russians control the rest of Bakhmut.
      Ukrainian forces however report they are continuing to push and are moving to encircle some of the Russian forces.
      Oleksandr’s funeral was held on WednesdayCredit: East2West
      He was killed near the besieged city of BakhmutCredit: AFP More

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      in Soccer

      Huge stars lined up as Chelsea host Ukraine fundraising game a year after Russian owner Abramovich quit

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      CHELSEA is set to host a star charity football match to aid war-torn Ukraine.The game comes just over a year after its Russian former owner Roman Abramovich was forced to sell the club.
      Alex Scott is being lined up to take part in the event
      England hero David Beckham is also ready to turn out in support of UkraineCredit: Getty
      The game comes just over a year after Russian Roman Abramovich was forced to sell ChelseaCredit: AFP
      Celebs including TV host Alex Scott, singer Niall Horan, England hero David Beckham and pundit Rio Ferdinand — also an ex-Three Lions ace — are being lined up to take part in some form on August 5.
      Ex-Chelsea player Andriy Shevchenko and Arsenal’s Oleksandr Zinchenko — both Ukrainians — are tipped to captain the two teams at Stamford Bridge.
      Game4Ukraine will raise money for President Volodymyr Zelensky’s United24 global charity.
      Oligarch Abramovich quit Chelsea amid threats of sanctions after Vladimir Putin’s Russia invaded Ukraine last February.
      READ MORE ON UKRAINE
      A source said: “Game4- Ukraine is going to be the biggest charity event of the year.
      “As well as a massive match, there is going to be a huge half-time show from a couple of big name stars.
      “It is going to be a stellar event.”
      The game is organised by Lester Holcombe, whose 2017 Game4Grenfell raised £900,000 for victims of the tower block disaster.
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      Former 1D star Niall Horan will also be taking partCredit: Rex
      Ex-Chelsea player Andriy Shevchenko, above, and Arsenal’s Oleksandr Zinchenko — both Ukrainians — are tipped to captain the two teams at Stamford BridgeCredit: Getty More

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      in Soccer

      Red tape ‘holding up’ £2.34billion in aid for Ukraine from sale of Chelsea FC

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      RED tape is said to be holding up £2.34billion in aid for Ukraine from the sale of Chelsea FC.The cash was pledged when Roman Abramovich was barred from benefiting from offloading the club.
      The £2.34billion in aid was pledged when Roman Abramovich was barred from benefiting from offloading ChelseaCredit: Getty
      It should have gone to good causes in Ukraine — but has been stuck in a sanctioned account since US tycoon Todd Boehly’s consortium paid £4.25billion for The Blues in May last year.
      The foundation set up to deliver the aid has said it cannot start work until it gets the green light from the UK and EU.
      Acting CEO Mike Penrose, former Unicef UK chief, said: “We’re ready to go and we’re just waiting for approval.
      “There are complexities and delays based around political approval both between the UK and the EU and within the UK.
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      “We won’t make any decisions until we know the money’s coming. We don’t want to end up with a charity but no money.”
      Russian oil magnate Abramovich, 56, was forced to sell Chelsea when he ignored demands to condemn Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion last year.
      He agreed his share should go to good causes in Ukraine.
      The funds have been earmarked for medical, housing and educational projects.
      Most read in Football
      Five months ago, UK Foreign Office minister Leo Docherty told the Commons that he hoped the cash was “on the start of its journey to Ukraine”.
      The Foreign Office declined to comment last night.
      Canada, meanwhile, has said it plans to seize £21million in sanctioned Abramovich assets to divert to reconstruction projects in Ukraine. More

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      in Soccer

      Russia must be stopped from forcing their way back into football and all sport until Putin ends massacre in Ukraine

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      RUSSIA must be stopped from forcing their way back into football — simple as that.Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine invalidates a return to humanity and should do so until he removes the troops he unleashed a year ago, who are still causing massive loss of life.
      Putin’s invasion of Ukraine means Russia must stay in the sporting wildernessCredit: AFP
      Gianni Infantino has displayed worrying signs he might let Russia back inCredit: Reuters
      For football fields, read killing fields. Any government with even a glimmer of morality must support Ukraine and their courageous people.
      That goes for all sport. Yet Fifa president Gianni Infantino is showing signs of relenting, while rogue states such as Syria and Iran are cuddling up to the Kremlin.
      Even more embarrassingly, Uefa are also said to be considering lifting the suspension, although Russia were not included in the current Euro qualifiers.
      Maybe both bodies are looking forward to the conclusion of the war, an eventuality that doesn’t seem to have affected Russian considerations so far, and certainly hasn’t Ukraine’s.
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      Why should it? The massacres in Ukraine make nonsense of the late Liverpool manager Bill Shankly’s dry half-joke that people think football much more serious than life and death.
      Five of the Stans of central Asia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — once possessions of the Russian empire — have already agreed to play their former landlords.
      The whole quintet are in arid, just-about-inhabitable lands so no wonder the Russians weren’t too bothered about handing them independence.
      Like them, Syria and Iran are in Fifa.
      Most read in Football
      Indeed, Iran beat Syria in the qualifying rounds for the Qatar World Cup, in which Iran played.
      Fifa have to juggle their politics but it would be a breach of responsibility were they to stand at the touchline of the current war and open competition for the evil Putin’s teams.
      Putin is the rotten core at the heart of Russia.
      But now, incredibly, the IOC are considering whether the country’s athletes should be allowed to compete under the national flag at the Paris Games in 2024.
      Lord Sebastian Coe, president of World  Athletics, is having none of this. He didn’t win two Olympic golds to watch his sport descend into hypocrisy.
      Gianni ‘I feel like a woman’ Infantino has not committed to official Russian entry into the bloated World Cup 2026 in North America.
      Football must have nothing to do with the Kremlin until the bombs stop dropping, the kidnapped children are sent home and the tanks trundle back.
      Awarded the Russian Order of Friendship, it seems that the friendship might have become less friendly, although not enough for Gianni to return the medal pinned on him by Putin himself in 2019.
      Infantino has practically been voted president unanimously (how does he do that?) and continues to see himself as a well-dressed world leader in white shoes with an even whiter reputation.
      He failed though when he tried to silence the bloody sounds of war for the month of the Qatar competition.
      Gross naivety, gross vanity.
      Neither Putin nor Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s leader, appear to have given a moment of thought to a truce.
      Putin has all the principles of a starving rat and would have used the month to rebuild his stock of weaponry.
      Poor repressed Belarus would have helped and Iran-made drones flown in by the thousand.
      Read More on The Sun
      Ukraine, the excellent Shakhtar Donetsk and others, continue to play to a background of war.
      Football must have nothing to do with the Kremlin until the bombs stop dropping on factories, schools, hospitals and homes, until all the kidnapped children are sent home and until the tanks trundle back over the border. More

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      in Boxing

      Boxing legend Klitschko blasts Olympic bosses’ decision to allow Russian athletes to compete under ‘neutral flag’

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      WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO has accused Olympic boss Thomas Bach of “serving the interests of Russia” by offering their athletes a way back.Yesterday the International Olympic Committee set out recommendations for sporting bodies to allow individuals, but not teams, from Russia and Belarus to take part in competitions under a neutral flag.
      Wladimir Klitschko accused Olympic boss Thomas Bach of ‘serving the interests of Russia’ by offering their athletes a way backCredit: AFP
      A decision on whether they can compete at Paris 2024 has not yet been taken.
      But former Ukrainian heavyweight boxer Klitschko, who is fighting invading Russian troops in his homeland, slammed the proposals.
      Klitschko, 47, said: “The IOC authorises the athletes to participate in the Olympic Games under ‘neutral flags’. This decision is a false flag.
      “Thomas Bach serves the colours and interests of Russia. This decision contaminates the Olympic spirit and is like this war — a nonsense.”
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      Klistchko’s swipe comes after the sad death of 22-year-old Ukrainian boxer Maksym Galinichev.
      Galinichev, a European amateur champion, was killed in battle against the Russian Army near Kreminna.
      Klitschko, who became super-heavyweight Olympic champion at the 1996 Atlanta Games, also pointedly re-tweeted old images of Bach laughing and talking to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko.
      The IOC’s Executive Board have considered the findings of a four-month consultation.
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      Speaking in Lausanne, IOC president Bach said: “We see that in a number of sports — tennis, cycling, handball, football, ice hockey — it’s already working.
      “You see athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport participating in competitions, even against Ukrainian athletes.”
      International Olympic Committee president Thomas BachCredit: AFP More

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      in Soccer

      England and Ukraine make powerful call for peace in front of cheering Wembley as allies go head-to-head in Euros clash

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      ENGLAND players and fans have united to honour Ukraine with a poignant tribute ahead of tonight’s Euro qualifier.Players from both teams called for peace before the match in a powerful show of solidarity, holding a Ukrainian flag with the word “peace” written on it.
      England and Ukraine players called for peace before the match in a powerful show of solidarity
      An Ukrainian fan makes a plea to PM Rishi SunakCredit: AP
      Ukraine players warming up ahead of the gameCredit: PA
      Ukraine supporters cheer and wave their flagsCredit: AFP
      Harry Kane led his Three Lions’ teammates in sending a message of peace following Russia’s invasion of the country.
      Wembley erupted in a sea of blue and yellow as the Ukrainian flag was beamed across the stadium.
      The Ukrainian team draped themselves in flags as they took to the pitch.
      Fans held Ukrainian flags aloft as an emotional rendition of the national anthem echoed through the stadium.
      Read more on the Ukraine war
      Former Blues star and ex-Ukraine boss Andriy Shevchenko shared his moving thoughts on the Ukrainian people before the match kicked off: “In very difficult moments, we have united all together.”
      England’s record goal scorer and team captain Harry Kane said on Channel 4: “It’s been a magical few days after the amazing result the other night. We’ve had a few days to settle down and recover well to look forward to an important game.”
      He emphasised the significance of the match against Ukraine tonight: “It will be a special night. I will have my wife and kids with me walking out to have a picture. We’ve got an important game so I’m trying not to think about it too much.”
      Tribute was also paid to Jack Leslie, who was dropped from the 1925 England squad because of his skin colour.
      Most read in Football
      His family was presented with the posthumous honorary England cap.
      England boss Gareth Southgate told Kelly Somers on Channel 4: “We’re clearly hugely respectful of everything that’s happening [in Ukraine]. There’s a lot of tributes, sympathies and support for Ukraine.
      “It is a game of football and there are of course a lot of important things going on in the world but our focus has to remain on this. ”
      More than 1,000 refugees and their host families have been invited to tonight’s game as special guests.
      The Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain (AUGB) joined with the FA to secure the free tickets as a thank you to Brit families who opened their doors to refugees.
      Bear Grylls, who recently travelled to Ukraine to create a documentary on the war and interview Volodymyr Zelensky, also attended the game.
      Around 4,200 Ukraine fans will be cheering their country on when the game kicks off at 5pm.
      It is the first time time the team has played England since Euro 2020 when they lost 4-0.
      The team faced a nightmare 16-hour trip to Wembley for the match after the war closed Ukrainian airspace.
      Some of the starting 11 endured a gruelling 11 hour and 45 minute train journey from Ukraine capital Kyiv to Przemysl in Poland.
      That was followed by a 50-mile, two-hour bus trek to Rzeszow in south-eastern Poland.
      Then came a two hour and nine minute Ryanair flight to London Stansted before another 70-mile, 90-minute bus ride to the team’s Syon Park Hilton hotel.
      Roslan Rotan’s squad have been training Brentford’s base in London since Monday.
      The team have faced a number of other issues – including having to play in empty stadiums and air-raid siren interruptions.
      But Rotan insists any challenges are dwarfed by their “defenders and warriors” facing Russian invaders on the front line.
      Tonight’s match comes just over a year after Vladimir Putin stunned the world when he sent troops across the border.
      His brutal invasion saw hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians displaced as the war raged on.
      An FA spokesman said before the game: “The occasion is an opportunity to show solidarity with the Three Lions’ opponents.
      Read More on The Sun
      “Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year, the football world has come together and Sunday’s fixture will welcome some of those displaced from their own country.
      ”Both sets of players will come together before kick-off to send a message of peace.”
      Ukrainian fans watched with banners showing their flag coloursCredit: Getty
      England’s James Maddison warming up ahead of the gameCredit: PA
      The war has raged on for a year now since Putin invaded
      Thousands of Ukrainians have been displaced More

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      in Soccer

      We don’t care about the England result, we just want 90 minutes where we can forget about the war says Ukraine fan

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      UKRAINE’S visit to Wembley tomorrow is about far more than just their bid to reach Euro 2024.For the thousands of Ukranians living in the UK, it is a chance to get a small feeling of home and remind the world of the terrors being inflicted on those under invasion from Russia.
      England will take on Ukraine on Sunday
      At least 4,000 Ukraine fans are expected to be in attendance
      Ruslan Rotan wants to offer fans a shot of hope
      More than 3,000 tickets have been sold in the away end while The FA have donated a further 1,000 to refugees.
      Manager Ruslan Rotan wants his side to offer a shot of hope for those in the stands with family suffering back home, and those watching from afar.
      Soldiers on the front line tuned in to watch their World Cup play-off victory over Scotland last year, and it makes a difference – however small.
      Stefan Luczka, a British-Ukrainian who is the chairman of the UK Ukrainian Sports Supporters Club, lives in Luton but has an uncle battling on the front line.
      Read More Football
      He told SunSport: “Any sort of morale boost will help.
      “Everything at the moment in terms of Ukraine is negative, in terms of being pummelled and bombarded with missiles.
      “Any sort of positivity or morale boost, not just for the guys on the front line it’s just a massive uplift. Any bit of positivity, winning or positive result.
      “Sport brings people together, 90 minutes to stop thinking about, ‘When I wake up in the morning, will I still have a house? Will a missile fall on my head or will I need to go and fight because Russia are coming closer and closer?'”
      Most read in Football
      Luczka also hopes that occasions such as tomorrow, as well as any successful qualification for a major tournament, will offer a huge boost to those seeking support as coverage abroad naturally ebbs away over time.
      He said: “It would be absolutely phenomenal if we could qualify.
      “It is always a massive positive to make a major tournament, but added to that the extra meaning of it because of the war, it would be a massive boost of positivity to Ukrainians around the world.
      “It highlights to the rest of the world that Ukrainians are fighting, metaphorically, on the pitch as they are on the front line.”
      For a community having to watch their country suffer from afar, Sunday is about far more than just three points towards qualification, however.
      Luczka said: “The UK has been phenomenal in its support. That’s why on Sunday I’m not really bothered about the football.
      “It’s about Ukrainians getting together and even showing appreciation. If we can get even a message of thanks, for your support.”
      There is also ongoing support from the footballing family in England too.
      Today, the England Fans team will play a team of Ukrainian supporters in the ‘John Motson Memorial Cup’, raising funds and collecting donations to support those in need in Ukraine.
      Read More on The Sun
      A similar fundraising fixture was arranged last March, a month after the invasion, which saw England fans raise enough to drive two ambulances to Ukraine, both packed with humanitarian aid essentials, a trip supporters are hoping to repeat ahead of the return fixture in September.
      Luczka added: “It is football fans acting in the right spirit, it is what football should be.” More

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      in Soccer

      Harry Kane reveals special boots he’ll wear for England vs Ukraine with nod to record and touching tribute

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      HARRY KANE has revealed the special boots he will wear against Ukraine – and they include a reference to his goal-scoring record. The striker netted his 54th goal for England against Italy as he scored from the spot.
      It’s been a good week for the England striker who has left all the drama at club side Tottenham behindCredit: Getty
      Kane’s colourful boots contain several interesting elementsCredit: Getty
      The star makes reference to both his scoring record and his children on his trainersCredit: Getty
      The goal took him one clear of Wayne Rooney and made him the Three Lions outright, all-time top scorer in the country’s history.
      Ahead of tomorrow’s game against Ukraine at Wembley, his boots for that match have been revealed and contain the number “54” at the back of the shoe.
      The flashy boots are largely in white but contain a tapestry of colourful words, images and shapes from the laces to the sole of the trainers.
      Phrases such as “all time top scorer” and “captain” can be seen, along with several small union jacks.
      READ MORE IN ENGLAND
      Most notably of all though is the wonderful tribute Kane, 29, leaves for his three kids.
      Their names – “Vivi”, which is short for Vivienne, “Ivy” and “Louis” are visible in small black letters on the sides of the boots.
      Their dates of birth are also visible alongside their name.
      Kane married childhood sweetheart Katie Goodland in 2019 and the two have three young children.
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      Ivy is the oldest at six, Vivienne is four and Louis is two.
      Kane’s family will be cheering on the star when he takes to the field at Wembley tomorrow.
      Victory in Naples has given England the perfect start to European Championship qualifying but Ukraine, with Premier League stars like Oleksandr Zinchenko and Mykhailo Mudryk in their ranks, are likely to provide tough opposition.
      It is Ukraine’s first game in England since Russia invaded at the beginning of last year.
      The names and dates of birth of Kane’s children are visible on the bootCredit: Getty
      Kane’s ’54’ goals are referenced on the back of his left bootCredit: Getty More