The League of the Mighty: Ukraine's soccer championship for veteran amputees

Independent Russia news outlet Meduza writes that Ukrainian veterans that have lost limbs while fighting Moscow’s troops have found a new life playing soccer.

According to AP News, the Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF) has launched the nation's inaugural amputee soccer championship this January, named The League of the Mighty.

“Ukraine is home to over 100,000 people with limb amputations, many of whom are soldiers injured while defending our country”, declared UAF President Andriy Shevchenko, as quoted by Meduza. “Football has a unique power to aid rehabilitation and recovery”.

Meduza explains that Amputee Football, as it’s called in Europe, involves teams of seven players: One goalkeeper with an upper limb amputation, and six outfield players with lower limb amputations.

AP News remarks that outfield players play without protheses on the field, relying on wrist crutches for control.

The UAF has reportedly invested in local communities to establish teams, recognizing the growing number of Ukrainian citizens that have been physically affected by the war, which began when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Meduza reports that a total of five teams participated in the League of the Mighty’s inaugural Winter Cup: AMP FC Kyiv, MSC Dnipro, FC Pokrova AMP, FC Pokrova-2, and Shakhtar Stalevi. The Lviv-based FC Porkova-2 won after 11 matches in two days.

“This is very important for veterans,” said Dmytro Kuts, a Pokrova-2 player who spoke to Meduza. “Amputee football provides a chance to rehabilitate and rejoin society. Thanks to football, I don’t even notice that I’m missing a leg”.

“Football is the best rehabilitation for me,” said Mykola Gatala, captain of the Pokrova AMP-One team, to AP News. “It has helped me both physically and mentally. I’m doing it with my brothers in arms who went through the same things I did. We understand each other.”

Although the war between Russia and Ukraine is far from over and the road to physical and mental recovery for those affected by the conflict is very long, there’s still hope and healing along the way.

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