The Helsinki Football Club faced Antalya at their training camp in the training match of FK Metalist Kharkov, where the starting points of the teams differed greatly. HJK is waiting for the start of a new season. Metalist monitors when the team can return home, which is under Russian attack.
The Helsinki Football Club has been camping in Antalya, Turkey, for ten days in preparation for its upcoming football season. HJK played two practice matches on the Mediterranean coast, first facing the Norwegian Sandefjord a week ago.
However, in a practice match on Saturday, HJK faced a team whose season is already underway, but there is no information on its continuation. The traditional FK Metalist Kharkov, who played in the second highest league in Ukraine, has been staying in Turkey for a while now.
The Ukrainian football leagues started in late July. However, they were left with an indefinite break after Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February. The metalist was scheduled to return to the field of play just in March after a three-month winter break in the country’s football series.
Now it faced the Finnish champion in Antalya, winning HJK 2–1. The only hit from the Helsinki team was fired from the penalty kick by the striker Borja Radulovic.
Metalist is also possibly staying in Antalya for a longer period of time.
– They may stay here for a while after this all-team camp ends. There are still uncertainties in it to understand what is going on and where they are heading. They seemed to have a family with them, and that certainly made it a little easier for them, HJK’s chief operating officer Ville Wallen tells Urheilu by phone.
– I can only imagine what it is like to prepare for a football match in such a world situation. Certainly not easy, the former professional goalkeeper adds.
The club’s hometown of Kharkov, located in northeastern Ukraine, is currently fighting.
Below you can see HJK’s guardian Boris Wistuba-Marinon published a video of Radulovic’s paint. The story continues after the tweet.
No extra attention
The people of Kharkov agreed with the leadership of the HJK that there would be no need to make great gestures regarding the war or support for Ukraine.
– We agreed to take a picture before the match. However, we didn’t talk very much before or during the match. They said and made it clear that there are really a lot of people here right now who are sorry for the situation and have been particularly kind to them, Wallen describes.
– However, they equally want their own peace and continue their lives. Since there are certainly those who will benefit from their situation by seeking publicity through it, he ponders.
Metalist Kharkov happened to be an opponent of HJK, organized by the match agency of Turkey and the international football association Fifa. The method is familiar from every international practice match, because through the agency, for example, suitable referees and thus a game license are arranged for the match.
– Our camp was confirmed in the last drop anyway. We did a great deal of work to get everything organized. There were then a few teams camping here that were “free.” Through that, we learned that there would be two or three Ukrainian teams here that would probably stay here for a longer period of time as well.
Antalya currently has several Ukrainian professional teams that have left for camping in Turkey, including FC Karpaty Lviv, who is playing in the main league in Ukraine.
HJK wanted to make sure before the match whether the Ukrainians would be willing to play against them in their current situation.
– We wanted to know what their mind was and if they would even be ready to play. They announced that despite the situation, they will continue camping here for work, Wallen says.
The time of metalist in Antalya continues, but it is not yet known how long. HJK, on the other hand, will continue its journey back to home Finland on Sunday.