Symbolism, empty seats: soccer returns to Ukraine amid war

By DEREK GATOPOULOS and ADAM PEMBLE
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — With two teams playing in an empty stadium hundreds of miles away from their hometowns, the Ukrainian soccer league has started its new season after a poignant ceremony paying tribute to those fighting in the war with Russia. The opening match at Kyiv’s 65,500-seat Olympic stadium featured two teams from the war-torn east of the country, Shakhtar Donetsk and Metalist 1925. They played out a 0-0 draw, although the result was always going to be an afterthought. It was the first top-level soccer match played in the country since Russia’s invasion in February.