One of the common themes within our Just Arsenal fan base at the moment is the right to have an opinion.
Some preach free speech unless it’s something they don’t want to hear.
Others will ask you to leave out factual information because it doesn’t help their argument.
Some are content for others to express their point of view as long as it’s a stance they agree with.
Some will ask for you to write only positive things, the negative is too hurtful, even though the subject matter is as trivial as sport.
Perhaps no footballer in the Premiership understands how insignificant football is, based on life, more than Oleks Zinchenko.
He’s watched every inch of his country attacked, every part of his nation under threat. The first thing he does every day is grab his phone for updates on events in Ukraine. That’s been his life for six months now.
Ukraine’s crime?
Wanting to be independent.
Daring to have their own voice, individual values, to make their own choices, to forge their own identity.
No matter the facts, no matter right and wrong, no matter morality …. thousands have been forced to leave their homes; others left to fight for freedom. Those are the lucky ones with many more thousands killed…
Zinchenko’s courage in how he spoke about the conflict while helping Man City become Champions was one of the highlights of last season.
That was while considering joining his native soldiers and trying to help defend his land.
When I heard he was becoming a Gunner, I was delighted. Here is a player who’s mentality you can never question.
A bomb went off opposite a hospital his grandad was at.
This week in their latest act of defiance Ukraine’s domestic football restarted, intentionally coinciding with their independence day.
While only parts of the country are safe enough to host matches and stadiums will be empty, President Zelensky was adamant games would kick off nowhere else but in Ukraine.
The player estimates that now 10 million of his peers face daily battles for food, heating, water, etc.
He privately made a large donation to the national bank in his homeland while charity work in Manchester funded lorries to bring supplies to his home via Poland, 150 volunteers filling up 27 lorries.
He’s one of the people trying to promote Save The Children who in the last 6 months have been able to support 281,882 people.
This raised revenue to help, ranging from social support, mental support, money for food, medicine, etc, help for hospitals.
In the past two seasons of the Just Arsenal Predictions League, I have donated to Shelter (the winners kindly didn’t want the prize shirt).
I will happily donate this year to helping Ukraine.
So, here’s my plan ….
Every week when the Just Arsenal predictions go up, I will leave a link giving you the option to donate to helping Ukraine and its children.
Now that he’s part of our family, I’m sure Zinchenko will appreciate Gooner’s support.
I’ll tweet him this message….
Football is a beautiful game …. but it’s just that …. a game
Donate To Ukraine | Save The Children (support-savethechildren.org)
Dan Smith