A Night of Terror Before Escaping Ukraine

The Portuguese coach Paulo Fonseca recounted terrifying details about the early days of the war in Ukraine, confirming that he spent a night under bombardment in the capital, Kyiv, accompanied by Italian coach Roberto De Zerbi and the Shakhtar Donetsk players in February 2022.

Fonseca had returned to Ukraine to help his wife’s family before the military events escalated unexpectedly.

Fonseca explained that he and his family sought refuge in a hotel owned by the president of Shakhtar, where there is an underground shelter. They spent an entire night there amid fear and anticipation, along with the coaching staff and players, particularly the Brazilians.

He pointed out that everyone was watching on television the attempts of Russian forces to enter Kyiv, which made the atmosphere charged with fear and anxiety.

The next day, Fonseca and his family managed to leave the capital on a grueling journey that took about 30 hours. They traveled by bus to Moldova, then Romania, before reaching Portugal.

The coach admitted that he felt an intense fear for the lives of his wife and son at that time, and that the experience remains vivid in his memory to this day.

Fonseca confirmed that those moments were among the most difficult periods of his life, noting that feelings of fear and terror still accompany him despite the passing years, after having closely experienced the horrors of war and its impact on both civilians and athletes alike.