German soccer professional stuck in Ukraine: “Please get me out of here!”
GER ONLY Abdullah Dogan Werder Bremen U19 2016
© Imago Images
Abdullah Dogan wanted to sign a professional contract in Kharkiv and is now stuck in Ukraine. He mainly stays in metro stations.
The German soccer professional and former player of SV Werder Bremen, Abdullah Dogan, is currently stuck in Ukraine. The 25-year-old flew to Kharkiv to sign a professional contract – but then the war came.
Dogan was originally supposed to fly back to Bremen on Thursday, but then the length came to a head, which is why his flight was ultimately canceled. “If I had known what would happen, I would never have traveled here. I’m shocked. I saw tanks and helicopters at the airport,” the 25-year-old told image-Newspaper.
Since air traffic has been completely suspended since the early hours of February 24, Dogan has mostly stayed in metro stations since then: “I sleep in the subway because shots can be heard outside. It seems safer than apartment buildings.”
Meanwhile, he asks the German authorities to allow his return journey: “I’m an emergency. Please get me out of here!” He is extremely “afraid that I won’t see my fiancée and siblings again. I’m very worried about my life,” Dogan said.
The 25-year-old played in Werder Bremen’s second team until 2017. He has been under contract with the Lower Saxony Oberliga club TB Uphusen since summer 2020. In addition to German, Dogan also has Turkish citizenship.
