Hundreds of kilometres away from their homeland and away from the horrors of war, Ukraine’s Under-17 side are aiming to qualify for the European Championship finals. On Wednesday 20 April, their journey in the Elite Round will begin, one which will also see them encounter Italy. With their upcoming matches in mind, the Ukrainians have been hard at work at the Coverciano Technical Centre since yesterday. They’ll be the FIGC’s guests until Tuesday, when they’ll travel to Siena for the mini qualifying tournament.

After helping Ukraine’s U17s reach Italy safely (with the support of UEFA), the FIGC made their home and pitches available to the team, allowing them – as President Gravina pointed out – “to train and thus fully express themselves out on the pitch.”

“I was here at Coverciano 30 years ago,” said Oleh Kuznetsov. “The set-up has changed a lot since then, and the hospitality we’ve received has been truly exceptional. Thank you, FIGC.”

One player in Ukraine’s 20-man Elite Round squad is Juventus striker Andriy Firman, who has been in Italy for a few years now: “Football is a positive distraction from the situation that we’re currently experiencing, and we want to be able to display our skills on the field. I’d like to thank the FIGC for everything they have done for us. Yesterday, we arrived at Coverciano and it was strange seeing my club teammates, who were wrapping up their training camp with the Italy Under-17 National Team.”

EUROPEAN UNDER-17 CHAMPIONSHIP – ELITE ROUND – GROUP 6

Schedule (all times CEST)
Wednesday 20 April
12:00 – Kosovo vs. Ukraina (Stadio Comunale Stefano Lotti in Poggibonsi)
15:00 – Italy vs. Poland (Stadio Artemio Franchi in Siena)
Saturday 23 April
12:00 – Ukraine vs. Poland (Stadio Comunale Gino Manni in Colle Val d’Elsa)
15:00 – Kosovo vs. Italy (Stadio Comunale Stefano Lotti in Poggibonsi)
Tuesday 26 April
15:00 – Ukraine vs. Italy (Stadio Artemio Franchi in Siena)
15:00 – Poland vs. Kosovo (Stadio Comunale Gino Manni in Colle Val d’Elsa)