Paul Philipp, president of the Luxembourg football federation, spoke to Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean Asselborn on Friday morning to discuss the extraction of three international players currently stuck in Ukraine.
Enes Mahmutovic, who plays for FC Lwiw, has been waiting at the border between Ukraine and Poiand since Thursday but has not yet been permitted to cross. The 24 year old described his situation as stressful and confusing, adding that only a select number of people were being allowed to cross the border in half-hour intervals. The FLF said they would be able to bring him home as quickly as possible once he has crossed into Poland.
Elsewhere in Ukraine, brothers Olivier and Vincent Thill, both of whom play for Vorskla Poltava, have spent the last 12 hours attempting to reach the border in a minibus provided by the club. Due to the immense queues of traffic forming as Ukrainian residents flee the country, the brothers said they had around eight hours of travel ahead of them as of midday on Friday.
Apart from several checks and military vehicles passing, their journey has so far remained conflict-free, but slow-moving. The brothers said the club had advised them to aim for the Hungarian border as it would be easier to reach than the Polish border. The club also told them they would have to give up their vehicle a certain distance from the border itself and make their own way from that point. Once Oli, 25, and Vincent, 22, have crossed into Hungary, the FLF will be able to ensure their safe return home.
