Two Ukrainian footballers reported dead following Russian invasion

Rest in peace, Vitalii Sapylo and Dmytro 'Dima' Martynenko

Two Ukrainian footballers have died as a result of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, according to the global players' union, FIFPRO. Vitalii Sapylo, 21, was a former Karpaty Lviv youth player, while Dmytro 'Dima' Martynenko, 25, played for regional side FC Gostomel. The global players' union, FIFPRO, expressed its sorrow at the losses, saying: "Our thoughts are with the families, friends, and team-mates of young Ukrainian footballers Vitalii Sapylo (21) and Dmytro Martynenko (25), football's first reported losses in this war. May they both rest in peace." https://twitter.com/FIFPRO/status/1498676709234819074?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1498676709234819074%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.redditmedia.com%2Fmediaembed%2Ft4fga4%3Fresponsive%3Dtrueis_nightmode%3Dfalse Karpaty announced the death of Sapylo in a statement, which read: "On Friday, February 25, a pupil of our school Vitalii Sapylo died near Kyiv. Sincere condolences to the family. Eternal memory of the hero!" As per stadiumastro, Sapylo was reportedly a tank commander who died in conflict with Russian forces while defending Kyiv. The report adds that Ukrainian media cited a report on the Kyiv-Sviatoshynskyi football federation Facebook page in announcing the death of Martynenko, stating that he and his mother died after their house was hit by a bomb. Martynenko recently played for FC Hostomel and was named the best player in the second division last season, where he was also top scorer. Related links:

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