Roberto De Zerbi will resume working with Shakhtar Donetsk for the first time since the invasion of Ukraine, organising friendlies to raise funds against Besiktas, Fenerbahce, Lazio, Sevilla and PSG.
The coach remained in Kyiv for several weeks after the initial Russian attack, refusing to leave until his players had also been taken to safety.
Now the Ukrainian club, who played Inter and Real Madrid in the Champions League in December 2021, is coming back together in Istanbul.
“I had promised the lads we’d do something to help them if we could. We can’t wait to hug them again,” De Zerbi told the Corriere dello Sport.
“It’s important for me to keep them inside their world, doing what they do best and having some sense of their life being intact. We are doing this for the players and the employees.”
The plan is to play a series of friendly matches with clubs, raising funds for those left behind in Ukraine and the refugees trying to flee the country.
Shakhtar Donetsk confirmed they will play Besiktas on April 13 and Fenerbahce on April 19.
Other dates are yet to be set, but they ought to involve matches against Sevilla, Hajduk Split, Paris Saint-Germain and Serie A side Lazio.
Former Sassuolo coach De Zerbi had taken the Shakhtar Donetsk job in May 2021 and won the Ukrainian Supercup trophy.
— Alfredo Pedullà (@AlfredoPedulla) April 6, 2022