Will Clark: There are more important things than the postponement of Scotland's World Cup play-off against Ukraine being postponed
Scotland should have been playing Ukraine in the World Cup play-off semi final on Thursday.
I booked my week off work especially and managed to get a ticket for the match for what should have been an important night for both countries.
Unfortunately, Vladimir Putin decided to invade Ukraine and start a war for no understandable reason.
Yes Vladimir, I’m a journalist, and I’m calling it a war. Jail me for 15 years or send me for hard labour down a salt mine.
Where did that salt mine quote come from? During lockdown, BBC Scotland showed highlights of the 1982 World Cup group stage game between Scotland and the USSR.
When Joe Jordan put Scotland 1–0 up, the camera closed in on then-USSR manager Valeri Lobanovski and commentator John Motson, or maybe it was Barry Davies, said “Thoughts of the salt mines must come to mind.”
Anyway, the play-off semi final has been postponed until June and you would need to have a heart of stone to say it was the wrong decision.
If you look at the last Ukrainian squad to play competitive football in November, 15 of the 23-man squad played their football in Ukraine, mostly for either Dynamo Kyiv or Shakhtar Donetsk.
Most men aged 18 to 60 are not allowed to leave Ukraine as they have to stay and join the resistance.
Whether you are a professional footballer or not, it makes no difference. Under these circumstances, it would be unfair to force Ukraine to play in a play-off match when there is time to rearrange it to a date in June when hopefully peace is back in their country.
Given that the World Cup is in November though, the tie can’t be postponed indefinitely, so hopefully Ukraine will have access to all of their strongest players for the match, whether based in Ukraine or they are playing overseas.
Instead of the play-off semi final, Scotland will now play a friendly against Poland on Thursday. Poland were due to face Russia in their play-off semi final, but due to the war, (I said war again Kremlin) Russia have been disqualified from the competition and Poland have received a bye to their path final to face the winner of Sweden and Czech Republic.
In the Path A semi final, Wales are still set to face Austria in Cardiff on Thursday, with the winner facing either Scotland or Ukraine some time in June.
It is unfortunate Scotland’s bid to reach the World Cup for the first time in 24 years has been thrown off course by circumstances beyond their control, but some things are bigger than football and sport and this is one of them.
I have had no problem putting my hand in my pocket to support causes raising money to help lives affected by the war in Ukraine (somebody tell Vladimir I keep saying war).
I have to give a special mention to my colleague Alasdair Fraser who is cycling from Gdansk to the Gellions Bar to raise money for Warchild to help lives affected by the invasion. It was inevitable a pub would be involved in any fundraiser he organised, but I will still raise a glass to him.
But I plan to be at Hampden on Thursday to cheer on Scotland against Poland, where £10 on every ticket will be donated to Unicef’s Ukraine emergency fund. I hate how the world is, but I admire how Ukraine is not backing down to the aggressors. I’ll support Ukraine however I can, I just wish it was enough.
