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Brazilian soccer star David Neres and at least nine other South American stars who play in the Ukraine are begging their government to help them escape amid Russia’s invasion of the country on Thursday.
The players are huddled together in a hotel room with their wives and children.
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David Neres reacts during the match between Brazil U23 and Korea Republic at Al Salam Stadium on Nov. 14, 2020 in Cairo, Egypt.
(Ricardo Nogueira/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
“There’s no fuel, the border is closed, the airspace is closed. There’s no way for us to get out,” said FC Shakhtar Donetsk‘s Marlon Santos said, via the New York Post. “We are really desperate. We are going through chaos.”
Santos continued: “The desperation is agonizing. We wait for the support from our country. We speak in the name of all the Brazilians in Ukraine.”
Uruguay’s Carlos de Pena – who plays for Dynamo Kyiv – was one of the other players who huddled in the room.
David Neres during a Copa America match between Brazil and Venezuela at Arena Fonte Nova on June 18, 2019 in Salvador, Brazil.
(Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)
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“The situation is one of despair. I ask you to disclose this video so that it reaches the [Brazilian] government,” Shakhtar’s Junior Moraes said.
One woman from the group said that they feel “abandoned” and they are afraid that they would soon have no more “food to eat.”
“We are asking for help on behalf of our children,” the woman said in the video. “We are not involved in this conflict, it doesn’t have anything to do with us.”
David Neres passes the ball during the match between Egypt U23 and Brazil U23 at Cairo International Stadium on Nov. 17, 2020 in Cairo, Egypt.
(Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
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Brazil’s embassy in Kyiv said in a statement that it would work to provide “the protection of the roughly 500 Brazilian citizens” in the country.
The Ukrainian league was suspended indefinitely after martial law was declared in the nation.