A small part of Ukraine is reborn in southern Brazil.

A little over a year ago, the football club FC Mariupol disappeared, while the city it represented was battered by Russian artillery and bombers.

On March 19, 2022, the team was to host FC Kollos at the Volodymyr Boyko stadium for a Ukrainian first division match. But by then, his training center had been bombed; the club’s campus had been turned into Russian barracks.

When the Ukrainian professional league resumed, FC Mariupol was not on the programme, its squad had been disbanded and its 12,000-seat stadium was deserted.

But hope has not been given up.

Club vice-president Andriy Sanin told CNN on Tuesday: “When we’re not playing, people forget about us. And that worried us a lot. We started looking for ideas to keep people talking about We.”

An idea was on the other side of the world.

“The first country that comes to mind when you think of football is, of course, Brazil. We found an entire province that was almost 80% ethnic Ukrainians, and we found a football club “Sanin said.

The province, or region, was Prudentópolis in southern Brazil, where a large number of inhabitants are of Ukrainian origin. The city of Guarapuava has the largest Ukrainian community in South America. 75% of its 52,000 residents claim to have Ukrainian ancestry.

And the football club? Batel Sports Association.

It’s not exactly a powerhouse in Brazilian football, as the team plays in the third division of the Paraná state league. But suddenly, the Batel has an international audience. For the next six games, and possibly beyond, it will change its name to FC Mariupol, adopting the Ukrainian team’s orange jerseys, crest and logo.

For Sanin, “it gives hope that if the club is not dead, the city will not die either, and will come back to life”.

“Ukrainian Mariupol will be revived just like Ukrainian football club Mariupol,” he told CNN.

In Brazil, Batel club president Alex Lopes said: “Our club and our region have a lot in common with the Ukrainian people. Our goal is to help keep FC Mariupol alive, which was the pride of the city, until it can function again.” “

On the new FCMariupolLives website, Batel commented: “Ukraine has always opened the doors of Europe to Brazilians. Now is the time for Brazil to welcome Ukrainians and keep FC Mariupol alive.”

Sanin says it’s impossible to express how much Batel’s gesture means for the Ukrainian club. He admits that a video created in Prudentópolis to kiss FC Mariúpol made him cry.

The website created by the club reads: “We will take care of FC Mariupol until all Ukrainians can once again come to Volodymyr Boyko Stadium to see their team play at home.”

The feeling is mutual. Sanin told CNN: “I really hope that later, after the war, we will definitely meet the guys from the Brazilian club. We will invite them to Mariupol, in the Sea of ​​Azov.”

Sanin, like millions of Ukrainians, awaits the much-heralded launch of a Ukrainian counter-offensive. And he is optimistic that the Volodymyr Boyko Stadium will soon see the orange shirts in action again.

“A few days ago we asked the Ukrainian league to postpone our return to big football for one more season. So we can come back in the 2024/25 season.”