EXCLUSIVE: Ukraine's Minister of Sports on hopes and pressures of possible World Cup qualification

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ukraine/j1JtDMwo/"]Ukraine[/a], which has been defending itself from a Russian invasion for over four years now, found a temporary home for its national football team in Valencia, Spain.[/p][p][b]"But even if we are playing in Spain, the whole nation will support our team,"[/b] Bidnyi tells [i][b]Livesport Daily[/b][/i], the podcast of the Czech version of [i][b]Flashscore[/b][/i].[/p][p]The Minister of Youth and Sports believes the team's greatest strength is resilience. [b]"I see it in our athletes everywhere. When our Olympic team entered the stadium in Milano, everybody was applauding us, rising up... We see those moments everywhere we participate. Everyone understands that for our athletes and teams, the environment for preparation is difficult, but we still continue to win important international matches," [/b]he says.[/p][image alt="Matviy Bidnyi, Ukraine's Minister of Youth and Sports" id="c8b04f80-f0fb-4fdb-898c-fed5401528b8" credit-line="Ukrinform / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia" guid="3dcf1487-227a-49ad-9791-f234352bbfb8" original-width="1400" original-height="933" /][p]If Ukraine manage to qualify through the play-off, it would result in only their second ever World Cup qualification, first since 2006. For fans in a country constantly tested by military conflict, it would serve as a huge boost.[/p][p][b]"Football is a very popular sport in our country. It's very important to our fans; there's huge enthusiasm. A lot of people will support our team; they have big expectations," [/b]Bidnyi says.[/p][p]The support from a war-torn country is loud, but it can also provide extra pressure. "All players feel the support, and also the responsibility," Bidnyi mentions.[b] "I communicate with some of our athletes who told me that now the pressure is enough more difficult to handle. Our defenders look at us, our nation looks at us and hopes for us. This is a special moment," [/b]he adds.[/p][p]Bidnyi believes the success of Ukrainian athletes and sports teams goes a long way to reminding people of what is going on in the country. [/p][p][b]"Our athletes are the best ambassadors of Ukraine,"[/b] the minister says. [b]"There are already many examples when our athletes show the world the important information about what's going on in Ukraine, even to people who aren't usually interested in political agenda. It's a very important channel for providing information,"[/b] he concludes.[/p][h2][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/sweden-OQyqbHWB/ukraine-j1JtDMwo/?mid=YT2GZZ9N"]Follow Ukraine vs Sweden with Flashscore[/a][/h2]