Shakhtar Donetsk kicked off their Football for Peace Tour with a game against Greek side Olympiakos in front of 5,000 fans.
The charity tour is raising money to help individuals in Ukraine harmed by Russia’s invasion.
The first game was played at Olympiakos’ Karaiskakis Stadium, and the home team won 1-0.
“We use football to promote peace,” Olympiakos sporting director Christian Karembeu remarked.
“We are happy to sponsor this event to raise awareness about the war,” the former French international stated.
“In these matches, we want to discuss about conflict and peace in Ukraine. The need to put an end to this lunacy and restore to normalcy, as well as reconstruct the country, “Sergei Palkin, general manager of Shakhtar Donetsk, stated.
The players wore shirts with the names of Ukrainian cities that have seen fighting during the conflict.
The match, however, was boycotted by an Olympiakos supporters’ group known as ‘Gate 7,’ who stated that their “links with other teams do not allow us to be biassed in favour of one side or the other.”
Shakhtar, one of Ukraine’s most decorated teams, had not played since the invasion began in February.