We play on by Andy Brassell

We play on by Andy Brassell – Shakhtar Donetsk’s fight for Ukraine, football and freedom – is a book recommended by someone who likes football and is a fan of Shakhtar Donetsk. I didn’t watch them play and I’m not that keen on football either. I watch some matches for the World Cup (although I boycott undemocratic locations) or Euros. I watch England, Romania, Ukraine, Georgia, but not necessarily all of the matches. That being said, I was curious to read about what happened to Shakhtar, a club I heard about. I’m so happy that I found the book at the library and read it. It is fascinating without any doubt. Also, I had no idea that it had so many Romanian connections, as their coach was Romanian. As I said, I knew next to nothing about them before reading the book.

Accidentally, today is the day of remembrance of the Cyborgs, the Ukrainian soldiers who defended the Donetsk Airport from the russian army for over 240 days in 2014 – 2015. I did not plan to publish the review today because of that, but it is a nice coincidence.

This is a very short book considering how much information it managed to include. It starts with how the club evolved, their peak in Donetsk in 2012, and how the club was affected when the war started in 2014. They had no home stadium for a decade. After 2022 everything got worse, obviously, with no crowds allowed and air alerts interrupting the games, sometimes more than once. The foreign players had their own problems, trying to flee or not, while the Ukrainian players faced different challenges.

All the staff was affected, including management. The owner was affected by everything that happened in Mariupol and lost millions of dollars. This is a story of determination in face of adversity. In 2009 Beyonce performed at the opening of Donbas Arena football stadium in Donetsk. Now the arena is derelict and Shakhtar play elsewhere. Read this book even if you are not interested in football or in the club, it is worth knowing their story.

We play on by Andy Brassell

Details about the picture: the cup is from Ukraine
My rating: 5/5 Stars
Would I recommend it: yes
Published by: Robinson
Year it was published: 2024
Format: Hardcover
Genre(s): Contemporary history – Ukraine
Pages: 304

About the author: Andy Brassell is an English writer and broadcaster. Brassell specialises in European football, and works as a pundit across many forms of media, such as Talksport, the BBC, BT Sport and ESPN, as well as newspapers such as The Guardian, The Independent, The Daily Mirror and the Daily Star. He has also written for magazines such as The Blizzard, FourFourTwo.
Website & Social Media Links: –