LOSC coach Paulo Fonseca was keen to mark the anniversary of Russia's war of aggression on Ukraine - where the Portuguese was coaching last season - by dedicating the 2-1 Round 25 win over Brest to the people of the war-torn country.
Former Shakhtar Donetsk coach Paulo Fonseca is enjoying great success at new club LOSC - Friday night's 2-1 win over Brest was their 13th of the season, and took them up to provisional fifth place - but the Portuguese had his mind on more sombre issues on the one-year anniversary of Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine.
"I would like to say something, to conclude. A year ago I was coaching in Ukraine [Shakhtar Donetsk], when the war started," said Fonseca in his post-match press conference on Friday following the clash at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy. "I can not forget these people who continue to suffer and I want to dedicate this victory to them."
Fonseca and his wife, Ukrainian television personality Katerina Ostroushko, and their young son were forced to flee Ukraine when the Russian invasion began, travelling 30 hours through war zones by car to reach safety in Romania.
"This war is, I believe, one of the cruellest in the story of all of the world, because the soldiers that are killing us, they are talking the same language and it's unbelievable," Fonseca told CNN Sport in March 2022. "We left everything in Ukraine. All the places that mean so much for us are still there, so my heart is there and my heart is broken for everything."
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