Let’s go back four years to the 26th of May 2018. The biggest European club football cup competition the Champions League and Real Madrid were playing Liverpool in front of 61,561 fans. It was a final remembered by a couple of howlers from the Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius and an extraordinary overhead kick from Gareth Bale. Real Madrid ran out 3-1 winners which meant that Zinedine Zidane had won the Champions League for the third time in a row. He became one of just three managers, alongside Bob Paisley and Carlo Ancelloti to win the European Cup three times, while also becoming the first coach to win the trophy in three consecutive seasons. On the 31st of May, five days after the Champions League final, Zidane announced his resignation as Real Madrid coach, citing the club’s “need for change” as his rationale for departing.
What is far more significant than any of the above was that final was played at the NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Who would have thought that less than four years later, Ukraine and in particular Kyiv would be being bombarded by its neighbours, Russia. In my opinion an act of total madness from Vladimir Putin has put the world at risk of a Third World War. I don’t think I’ve seen such a worldwide condemnation of an act of aggression like this. We’ve had the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan, that in their own rights have been questionable but this defies comprehension. A United Nations resolution this week saw 141 countries vote for Putin to withdraw his troops. There were 35 countries that abstained and just 5 that voted for Putin. They were Russia themselves, Belarus, North Korea, Syria and Eritrea. Hardly a list of stable nations in that short list.
Putin has made a point of making Russia look like the good guys around the World by hosting some of the largest sporting events in the last 8 years. In 2014 they hosted the Winter Olympics in Sochi. The Russian F1 Grand Prix has been an annual motor racing event held at Sochi Autodrom – a permanent circuit built around the Olympic Park in Sochi. In 2018 just 19 days after the Champions League final that I mentioned above they hosted the World Cup Finals.
However it seems that behind the scenes he has been planning this war for a very long time.
Are we really in a situation in 2022 that some power crazed crackpot can hold the world to ransom? Having just got through two years of Covid this is just what the world doesn’t need right now. Without doubt they are bombing innocent victims and he should be made to pay a heavy price. With the advent of drones, satellite images and social media it is very easy to see the atrocities he is committing. So how long will it last? I hope not too long and finishes in a way that is a victory for the Ukrainian people. You can’t but admire their bravery in all of this. Put yourself in their shoes, it doesn’t bear thinking about does it. I hope too that the Russian people will eventually see through the propaganda and be brave enough to stand up against this evil regime.
At Pirates we are in touch with our 5 Ukrainian artists who were given permission to work for us last Friday, the day after the war started. They live in the central part of the country so at the beginning they were away from the attacks. When we spoke to them towards the end of the week, tanks had started to arrive in their area. Of course they don’t want to leave their families behind and would rather leave with them. We are working with the authorities to make this possible but as you can imagine it’s not easy. Vladislav, Yurii, Andrii, Vladisylav and Denis, our thoughts and prayers are with you and your families at this very stressful time.
2000 Ukrainians live in Mallorca and through their Church, they are trying to send supplies back to Ukraine right now.
The Ukrainian Church in Palma is open from 9 am to 8 pm daily for donations (clothes and food mainly) solidarity and prayers for the people still in the Ukraine.
I went to the church yesterday evening and it was heartwarming to see so many people donating and helping.
The list of items they desperately need are as follows..
preserved food, coffee, medicine, anaesetics, antibiotics, material for bandages and tourniquets, anti-inflammatories, rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, gauze and dressings,
sleeping bags, blankets, water heaters, leather gloves, rucksacks, travel bags, cables, electric saws, generators, binoculars.
Ukrainian church: Carrer de Bartomeu Xamena 26, 07610, Playa de Palma.
They appreciate and welcome your support.
If you can’t get there please contact me and I will arrange to get things picked up.
Take care everyone and enjoy your Weekend!
Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday 07.00-10am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.com on mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance!
Follow him on Twitter @DadTaxi1 & Instagram @dad.taxi or feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com
Dad Taxi Mallorca 