The team made up of people fleeing the war that will compete in Catalan football
FC Legión, created by the Ukrainian community, debuts in the Catalan Fourth Division with the aim of growing without losing its roots.
Barcelona"In 2021, I founded the team and we started playing 7-a-side football, but we didn't like it very much, and the following year we were already looking for an 11-a-side football league, specifically the ACDEA business and association league," recalls Taras Kis over the phone. "A year ago, we reached the ACDEA Spanish final, and that allowed us to compete in the European Cup this year, which was held in Mallorca, and we were semi-finalists. Now, we believe the right way to evolve is to participate in the Cuarta Catalana to raise the competition," he adds.
FC Legión's goal isn't just sporting: the club also wants to support the Ukrainian exile community in Catalonia. "In Barcelona, there are many groups of Ukrainians who play football. They get together on Sundays to play matches, and that allows us to get to know each other. Additionally, thanks to social media, we've managed to recruit new team members, and we now have 22 players," explains Kis. They play at the Premià de Dalt stadium because they haven't found an affordable rental to play their matches in Barcelona. Regarding financing, the club currently covers half of its expenses through membership fees (players and fans), and the other half through donations from small Ukrainian businesses in Catalonia.
The war, however, is ever-present. "All the team members have family in Ukraine. For example, I have my brother, my mother, and some friends there. Luckily, they live in Lviv, an area bordering Poland and quite peaceful, so to speak," explains the president, who, despite having lived in Spain for fourteen years, had returned to visit them every year.
In the summer of 2021, the club recruited Ihor Haras, a former player and current coach, through social media. "I came to Barcelona without knowing the language and without a job, and the first few months were complicated, but since I'd spent my whole life linked to football, I contacted the Legion through Facebook to start moving around and be able to play football, since it was what I liked most. It was a key step in becoming the person who speaks now," he even dares to say a few words.
A school for young Ukrainians
His work goes beyond the pitch: "Some of the team's kids have fled the war, and it's very difficult to deal with them. In the first few months, I spoke a lot with them, checking in on their families and whether they were mentally well. Now they're at peace here in Catalonia, but they've come from very complicated situations," he explains. "We help all the Ukrainians who come here, since sharing the same language makes it easier to understand each other, find courses for them, and help them integrate into the country," he adds.
Another pillar of FC Legión is the captain, Iaroslav Annich, with experience at several professional clubs in Ukraine and Hungary. He is proud to be part of the project and emphasizes the club's role beyond sport: "Football unites us and allows us to feel part of something bigger. Our club plays an important role for the Ukrainian community in Barcelona, helping to maintain the connection with our homeland, support each other, and share our culture."
The club's future goes beyond competing in the Catalan League. "Another goal we have is to create a football school for children, since many kids have come because of the war, and some are playing on football teams and are integrating, but others don't play or train, and they don't even know that there's a team where everyone who plays is Ukrainian," Haras points out. "The Ukrainian consulate is starting to support us now that we've joined the federation," adds Kis, who sees the Legion as "a way to continue playing football, but above all, to continue being Ukrainian, even thousands of miles from home."
