Vitalii Sapylo (21) was a great hope for Carpathians Lviv (Ukrainian D2). Dmytro Martynenko (25) had a little more experience, he played for FC Gostomel, where he was the top scorer last season, in the second amateur league of the Kiev region. The two Ukrainian players died during the war raging in their country, invaded by the Russian army.
The youngest, who had enlisted to defend his homeland, died Friday in fighting near the capital, his club said, in a tribute to his “hero”. The second succumbed to a bombardment which occurred on the outskirts of Kiev. He lost his life at home, with his mother, said the Sviatoshynskyi League, on which depends the amateur district in which his club plays.
“Our thoughts are with their families and friends”wrote the world union of players (FIFPro), in a statement presenting Sapylo and Martynenko as “the first disappearances for football in this war”.
