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At 12, Illia fled Ukraine with her mother and found refuge in Valenciennes. Passionate about football, he was welcomed with open arms by the Famars club and his new teammates. Or when sport can participate in the reconstruction of a child traumatized by war and exile. #TheyHaveTheSolution
Ilia and her mother Halina fled Dnipro in eastern Ukraine three weeks ago. They found refuge with a host family near Valenciennes. And very quickly, Illia expressed the desire to play football again, her passion. A sport he practiced every day after school, before the Russians attacked his country. A message received five out of five by the Famars club which did not hesitate for a moment to integrate it into its workforce.
For her first match, Illia literally impressed her new teammates. “He is too strong“, exclaims one of them. “We didn’t have a mid-left, there we found a good one, that’s what’s good“, rejoiced another. “He has a nice shot“, simply concludes one of his new game partners.
“Sport can be a way to forget the war, to think that there is something other than war“, testifies Christian Rybarz, the co-president of FC Famars. And here, everyone is mobilizing so that Illia and her mother think of something else. That evening, they were invited to attend a match of Valenciennes in the presidential tribune A moment of respite, even if in their minds Ukraine is never far away.”It makes me happy to share my son’s passion here, even if of course I have nostalgia for my country, for all those who stayed there. My heart is torn between here and there“, says Halina.
Because even if they are safe here, it is impossible for them not to worry about Illia’s father who remained in Dnipro to defend his country, but also for the grandparents and friends who were unable to flee the battles and Russian bombardments. Relatives with whom they are in contact every day.