Everton have offered Dynamo Kiev a friendly at Goodison Park to raise funds to support Ukrainians impacted by the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Blues owner Farhad Moshiri confirmed the offer in an open letter he penned to fans following the end of the season where the Toffees narrowly avoided relegation.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which continues to cause devastating humanitarian impacts, resulted in the domestic football calendar in the country to be halted, with clubs having not played since December.
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The national team were able to join together and narrowly missed out on qualifying for the 2022 Qatar World Cup after they went down 1-0 to Wales on Sunday in the final Play Off despite a dominant performance. They had secured a memorable 3-1 victory over Scotland at Hampden Park last Wednesday in the previous qualification round, with Everton’s Vitalii Mykolenko shining for Ukraine.
The left-back signed from Dynamo Kiev for £17m in January and after a slow start, excelled for the Toffees during the run-in and played a crucial role in helping the club to avoid relegation. This included Everton's Goal of the Season with a sumptuous volley from outside the area in a 2-1 win over Leicester. He is fast becoming a favourite for the Goodison Park faithful and Evertonians rallied around him following his arrival with all the devastating events occurring in his homeland.
And Moshiri confirmed the offer of a friendly with the 16-time Ukranian champions in his letter and thanked the fans for the support they have provided to Mykolenko.
He said: "Finally, we cannot forget the ongoing atrocity occurring every day in Ukraine. The response of the fans, the players and management and their support for Vitalii Mykolenko, his country and people who are still suffering because of this inhumane assault has been heartfelt and truly amazing.
"The Club has already made an important contribution to the Disaster Emergency Committee’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal and I can confirm that we have offered a friendly match at Goodison Park to Dynamo Kyiv to raise additional funds to support the Ukrainians – details of this will be made available soon."
