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Aston Villa’s Matty Cash displayed a message of support for Polish teammate Tomasz Kedziora, removing his shirt after scoring a goal against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
Kedziora, who plays for Dynamo Kiev in the Ukrainian league, is currently in the capital as Russian troops invade. Though league games have been postponed, Kedziora remains there.
“Tomasz Kedziora and family — stay strong bro,” the message, written on Cash’s blue undershirt, read.
Cash received a yellow card in the 17th minute of the Premier League game for removing his shirt, as per the rules. It’s the latest in a series of gestures from Polish soccer to support Ukraine.
Earlier on Saturday, the Polish Football Association said it planned to boycott its scheduled World Cup qualifying playoff against Russia next month, mentioning Kedziora in its statement.
Cash put the statement up on his social media. It read: “We, the players of the Polish national team, together with the Polish Football Association, decided that as a result of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, we do not intend to play in the play-off match against Russia.
“It is not an easy decision, but there are more important things in life than football. Our thoughts are with the Ukrainian nation and our friend from the national team, Tomasz Kedziora, who is still in Ukraine with his family.”
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