Bordeaux : Gérard Lopez personnellement investi pour permettre à la famille d’Ignatenko de quitter l’Ukraine
His smile in recent days in training has not gone unnoticed. Danylo Ignatenko is a little calmer man since his family was able to leave Kiev to reach the Slovakian border. Loaned this winter to the Girondins by Chakhtior Donetsk, the only Ukrainian player playing in L1 had become, by force of circumstance, a subject of major concern within the club after the invasion of his country by the Russian army.
His tears on his arrival at Haillan last week had moved the entire Bordeaux environment and beyond. The club and the public of Clermont had also wanted to show him their support during the trip of the Girondins to Auvergne (1-1) last Sunday. “We do not realize how lucky we are to play in a country at peacereacted Josuha Guilavogui who had given his goal against CF63 by running to his bench to throw himself into his arms. When you have a teammate who arrives in the morning, empty, to see his distress, it’s really very hard. »
While Bordeaux is playing this Sunday against Troyes in a crucial match for its maintenance (3 p.m.), it is indeed the situation of the midfielder which was spontaneously mentioned by his coach David Guion in the preamble to his press conference this Friday. The news is reassuring, and the technician wanted to “ask the whole environment for marks of solidarity towards” his player but also to greet “the personal investment of President Gérard Lopez to ensure that Danylo finds his family as quickly as possible”.
The arrival of his family is a matter of days
According to our information, the former owner of LOSC used his government contacts to facilitate the departure from Ukraine of Ignatenko’s family and in-laws. A private plane was also made available to them, while the midfielder’s family finally reached the Slovakian border by car. From the first day of the war, Lopez had called Ignatenko to tell him not to worry and to assure him that everything would be done so that his relatives, expected in Bordeaux on March 1, quickly join him.
A WhatsApp group which brought together several leaders, Guion, Ignatenko and his agent, had also been created to follow the situation from day to day and surround him. In principle, the arrival in France of his family should now only be a matter of days. ” Danylo was in the best condition this week”underlined Guion, aware that the context in Ukraine cannot leave his player insensitive. “ It’s very complicated for him, he is attentive to everything that happens. We see that athletes have taken up arms and he is very up to date. But I saw him smile again and I prefer to see him in this state of mind. »