Ukraine: A Portrait

Yuri Paretski, Ukraine

Yuri Paretski is a groundhopper based in Ukraine. He is originally from Moscow, where he was an ultra-fan of CSKA Moscow. Since 2008, he has travelled to stadiums across Ukraine, watching football at all levels. In September 2020, Yuri told us his story.

Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your football life?

My name is Yuri Paretski. In middle of the 1990s I went to a stadium for the first time. And for 10 years I actively supported CSKA Moscow, I was one of the ultras, going to all home games, many away games, participating in different actions. But after some years I started feeling the modernization of football more and more. After 2008 I moved to live in Ukraine where I took a fancy to groundhopping. I didn’t have sympathy for any specific club in Ukraine and I started travelling to different cities and watching football at all levels, meeting with fans. I can say that with the help of football I know this country. Now I continue travelling to stadiums not just in Ukraine, but also other countries.

What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any wider meaning with the photos?

In general, I wanted to show the realities of Ukrainian football including the most problematic moments. I really admire the romance of the lower leagues. Despite the low attendance for most matches in general, I am sure that football in Ukraine has a lot of love. It has big traditions and for many people, especially in small towns and villages where they don’t have any other entertainment, it is really a very important part of culture. Also, it is useful for children to play football and to have a healthy way of life, being generally active on street and not sat at home with their computers and smartphones. When they are playing football, they don’t have time for stupid things like alcohol, drugs and so on. Unfortunately now in Ukraine, football is run by oligarchs and bandits - they don’t try to develop it or try to make it more popular. For them it is just a tool to satisfy their own ambitions.  

FC Orshivtsi v FC Mamayivtsi. Championship of Kicmansky district.

In Ukraine many villages have stadiums which are used for the pasture of cows, goats, chickens and other animals, when it is not match day. They are brought in the morning, tied to something, and taken away in the evening. So it was with this cow. I think that its owners are not interested in football and did not know that there would be a football match in their village. Therefore, for the entire 90 minutes of the game, the cow chewed grass and watched football with interest.

FC Kigyos v FC Perekhrestya. Cup of Berehovo district. Semi-Final.

This is the goalkeeper of the away team. His shirt is hand-made. It shows that people truly in love with football pay attention to detail. 

Univer-Dynamo (Kharkiv) v FC Dnipro. Cup of Ukraine (amateurs). Quarter-Final.

This match is interesting because the home team represents the police academy, the game was at the academy and entrance was only possible with a pass. Most spectators were cadets of the academy in uniform. The guest team for this match was legendary football club Dnipro – two-time champions of USSR, winner of Cups in USSR and Ukraine, who played 4 years ago in the Final of the Europa League against Seville. Now this team does not exist anymore (because of financial problems). The photos are from its final season, which the team spent in the Amateur League.

Legion (Bashmachka) v Dnipro (Bashmachka). Championship of Solonyansky district.

This was a derby match between teams from one village. The field on which they were playing almost didn’t have grass and was without good markings. Because of this the captain of the home team and referee argued and the game was almost cancelled. 

I wanted to show how football is played by normal people. It was the last month of winter in the western part of Ukraine, in a small village called Velyka Byihan, where Hungarians live. It is Ukraine but very close to the border with Hungary. 

FC Dnipro v FC Vovchansk. Cup of Ukraine (amateurs). Semi-Final.

I want to show a big problem – a lack of spectators. This stadium in Dnipro has capacity of around 30,000. And as we can see, at this match there were just 200-300 spectators. Entrance was free. It was a shame! 

Karpaty (Dubove) v FC Polyana. Championship of Zakarpattia region. Top league.

At the time of the USSR this was a good stadium, but because of a crisis in the country and floods, for a long period it has been squalid. During this time people from the villages created a market. Now there is conflict between the club and people because this market is a hindrance to football players. But the people don’t have any other place to trade.

Ahrariy (Malooleksandrivka) v Lokomotyv (Novomykolayivka). Championship of Verkhnedniprovsk district.

This match was in a quiet village where just 300 people live. No transport goes there, so we had to walk for around 2 hours. When we arrived, we really wanted a drink, but the only shop they had in this village wasn’t open. It opened just before the game and just because of the match.

Naftovyk (Boryslav) v Khymik (Novyi Rozdil). Championship of Lviv region. First league.

This match was remarkable because there were entrance tickets, costing around 50 cents. Paid entry is very rare for amateur leagues in Ukraine. Here even in the professional second league many stadiums have free entrance, and this is the 6th league.

Dibrova (Nyzhnia Apsha) v FC Vyshkovo. Championship of Zakarpattia region. First league. East zone.

This is a Ukrainian village where Romanians live. They played against a team from a village where Hungarians live. This region is very interesting because representatives of different nationalities live here and because of this, matches in this league have an additional intensity of emotions.

FC Myshyn v FC Cheremkhiv. Championship of Kolomyisky district.

Sokil (Uhersko) v Urahan (Stankiv). Championship of Stryi district. First league.   

What does football mean to you?

Football is my life. I never watch it on TV, I think that it is very boring, and always makes me want to sleep. But I am always searching and finding new matches and stadiums that I can visit and travel to. And when I return home, I work with the material, publish photos, show my experience on my social media pages. In 2012 I founded the Association of Groundhoppers Russian Team, where we mostly have people from countries of the former USSR who communicate in Russian. We have our own website, fanzines and so on. I spend a lot of time on this project too. 

Central entrance of Dnipro-Arena, Dnipro.

Hoverla (Yasinia) v Dibrova (Nyzhnia Apsha). Championship of Zakarpattia region. First league. East zone.

What is the future for Ukrainian football?

If I am telling the truth, I am very disappointed by the situation that we have now. In the first four professional leagues of Ukraine, football is normal. But everything below that is not important to anyone except enthusiasts - people who give all their attention, time and money to their beloved team. Their contribution remains invisible to most. Because the media in Ukraine do not talk about it. With my photographs I wanted to pay attention to them. The teams survive because of the enthusiasm of some people. These clubs survive rather than live. They have very bad infrastructure and financing. In some regions championships even stop existing. This is due to a poor economy where players are forced to leave and go to make money in other countries. So I am a pessimist and see things worsening over the years.

Berda (Horishni Sherivtsi) v FC Chunkiv. Cup of Zastavnivsky district. Quarter-Final.

FC Dnipro – VPK-Ahro (Shevchenkivka). Championship of Ukraine (amateurs). Group 3.