Pope Leo XIV Meets with the Ukrainian Amputee Football Team “Pokrova AMP”
The Lviv amputee football team Pokrova AMP, affiliated with the Salesian Community of St. John Bosco of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican during a trip to Italy to compete in the 2026 EAFF Champions League. The players presented the Holy Father with a team T-shirt and told him about the team’s mission to support the rehabilitation of war veterans through sports. The news was reported to the UGCC Information Department by the club’s founder, Fr. Mykhailo Chaban, provincial superior of the Salesians of St. John Bosco of the UGCC.
“This meeting was our dream. We wanted to visit Rome, and since we were so close while competing in Fano, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to meet the Holy Father. We contacted the Embassy of Ukraine to the Holy See with this request, and they helped arrange the meeting and provide an escort. We told Pope Leo XIV how Pokrova AMP was founded and presented him with a team T-shirt as a symbol of our team, asking for his prayers and blessing,” Fr. Mykhailo shared.
During the meeting, Fr. Mykhailo told the Holy Father about the club, which the Salesians founded in Lviv in September 2023. Most of the team’s players are veterans of the Russian-Ukrainian war who have undergone amputations or sustained severe injuries. Playing amputee soccer helps them with their rehabilitation, return to an active life, and develop as athletes.
“It’s important for us to share the stories of our players, their journeys, and how soccer helps them recover from their injuries,” Fr. Mykhailo noted.
During the trip, the players also met with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi to discuss Pokrova AMP’s activities and future plans, particularly the establishment of a new team center in Pidbirtsi, near Lviv.
“The cardinal supported this idea and noted with pleasure that the Church in Ukraine has launched an initiative to develop amputee soccer, which, like a good seed, is bearing fruit. Today, there are already nearly 20 amputee soccer teams in Ukraine. This means that the work we have begun is truly gaining momentum and, most importantly, creating new opportunities for veterans,” Fr. Mykhailo said.
Another meeting took place in Rome at the headquarters of the Salesian Congregation of St. John Bosco, where the players met with the Congregation Superior General, Fr. Fabio Attard.
“Together with the team, we told Father Fabio about the club’s development, from our first training sessions in 2023 on the field at the Bosco Center in Lviv to our victories in the Ukrainian championship and participation in international competitions. He thanked us for advancing this cause, and we thanked him for the continued support of the Salesian community. It’s important for us to feel that they stand with us in this mission,” Fr. Mykhailo noted.
Pokrova AMP finished fifth in the 2026 EAFF Champions League, held in the Italian city of Fano. This was the Ukrainian team’s first appearance in the tournament.
In the group stage, the players lost 0–6 to Poland’s Wisła, while their match against Spain’s Real Betis ended in a 2–2 draw, earning the Ukrainian team its first point in the tournament. In the match for fifth place, Pokrova AMP defeated Georgia’s AFC Tbilisi 4–0.
“We’re satisfied with the result. For our first year in the Champions League, this is a good showing. We’ll work to perform even better next year. Since Pokrova AMP has won the Ukrainian championship for the second year in a row, we’re preparing to compete in the Champions League again,” Fr. Mykhailo concluded.
Photo: Vatican News, Pokrova Lviv AMP Football, European Amputee Football Federation
