National Football Federation asks the Union to rescue you from playing in Ukraine

The president of the National Federation of Professional Football Athletes (Fenapaf), Alfredo Sampaio, confirmed to CNN who will send, this Friday (25), a letter to the federal government asking for a “rescue solution” for Brazilian players in Ukraine. The official document will also be forwarded to the acting president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), Ednaldo Rodrigues.

The idea of ​​the football federation is to sensitize the federal government, through the Special Secretariat for Sport, and get help for professional athletes who work in Ukraine. The eastern European country was attacked by neighboring Russia at dawn on Thursday (24), by land, air and sea.

“My hope is that the players will be rescued, but we have to see the feasibility. The intention of the letter is to ask for help from the federal government and also from the main football entity in the country. We know that in practice a rescue is difficult, but not impossible. I believe that the government will be sensitive to our request”, said Alfredo Sampaio, president of Fenapaf.

A survey carried out by CNN, this Thursday, points out that 30 Brazilian players play in the first division of Ukrainian football. Only at Shakhtar Donetsk, a top division club, there are 13 Brazilian athletes in the squad: Dodô, Vitão, Marlon, Vinícius Tobias, Ismaily, Marcos Antonio, Maycon, David Neres, Tetê, Alan Patrick, Pedrinho, Fernandinho and Junior Moraes.

Afraid of Russian attacks in Ukraine, around 20 people, including Shakhtar Donetsk players, their wives and children, asked for help to get information and be able to leave Ukraine. One of the players claims that they left their homes and went to a hotel, but that there is a lack of fuel and, with the airspace and borders closed, they are not able to leave the country.

“Here we are all reunited with our families, staying in a hotel,” he said. “I hope the embassy can help us,” he added.