As Episode 1 of "Football Must Go On" (2023 release; 4 episodes ranging from 31 to 36 min.) opens, we are in Kyiv, Ukraine, August 2022", and the war between Ukraine and Russia, which brutally invaded Ukraine in February, 2022, is raging. We are introduced to Shakhtar Donetsk, one of Ukraine's top soccer clubs. Shakhtar (which means "miner" in Ukrainian) became a "refugee club" in 2014 when Russia-backed "rebels" invaded the Donetsk region in Eastern Ukraine. Nowadays Shakhtar trains and plays in Lviv, in Western Ukraine. However, the European Football Federation (UEFA) does not allow any of its Champions League games to take place in Ukraine, and hence Shakhtar will play its European home games in Warsaw, in neighboring Poland. At this point we are 20 minutes into Episode 1.
Couple of comments: the intimate mini-series brings a never before seen footage of how a top soccer team adopts to life during war and what it does to the players and their families, the staff, the coaches, and everyone else associated with the club. The players and the club are fully aware how much is at stake and the small but important tole the team can play in providing a spark of hope to a country living through war. There are scenes in this mini-series that will break your heart. This mini-series was filmed in Fall '22 and Winter '23, as Shakhtar is playing through its European games. At just 4 short episodes, this mini-series just flew by.
"Football Must GO ON" premiered on Paramount+ in Fall of 2023, and I completely missed it. But based on my viewing habits, Paramount+ suggested this to me. So glad they did. Whether you are a soccer fan or not, if you want to get a glimpse on how Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine is affecting daily life in Ukraine, I'd readily suggest you check this and draw your own conclusion.
