Shakhtar pair named Friends of EURO
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
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Andriy Pyatov hopes fans "will take this chance" to become volunteers after he and FC Shakhtar Donetsk team-mate Dmytro Chygrynskiy were named Friends of UEFA EURO 2012.
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FC Shakhtar Donetsk pair Andriy Pyatov and Dmytro Chygrynskiy have become the latest high-profile figures to be named as Friends of UEFA EURO 2012 in Ukraine.
Speaking at the launch of the tournament's volunteer programme in Donetsk, goalkeeper Pyatov urged the club's fans to back the campaign. "I hope each of Shakhtar's supporters will take this chance to enter the history books and rise to the occasion, showing their pride for the country as volunteers along with us, the players," said the 26-year-old, who, like Chygrynskiy, is a Ukrainian international.
After receiving the Friends of EURO diploma from Ukrainian UEFA EURO 2012 tournament director Markiyan Lubkivskiy, centre-back Chygrynskiy said: "I will be happy if every fan who supports us puts his or her efforts into making EURO a success, while we will recognise the smiles of people wearing the volunteers' uniform."
Lubkivskiy, meanwhile, cited the role volunteers played at Shakhtar's Donbass Arena last weekend as proof of their value. "We witnessed big celebrations on the occasion of Shakhtar's 75th anniversary last Saturday. These festivities would not have run without the all-embracing work of the volunteering team."
