The League of Tolerance is a charity focused on social education through sport, democratic participation and entrepreneurship. Fomichov coaches kids from a variety of backgrounds, including the displaced, via a range of football-related projects, trying to interweave themes from the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This year, one programme was supported by the FIFA Foundation.

Originally a lawyer, educator and coach from Donetsk, Fomichov fled his home in the east of the country due to the conflict, ending up in Ivano-Frankivsk. “My wife and I were expecting a baby and were not in the mood to leave,” he said. “But when our house was fired upon with mortars twice in one week, there was no point in staying.”

“Personally, I am also an IDP [internally displaced person] and ethnic Greek, and it is very good for my coaching to show integration and be a role model,” he added. “I see football as an excellent tool to create social cohesion and make a safe environment for self-expression. We try to be as inclusive as we can and invite all the kids without any limits.”

Fomichov, an ambassador for the UEFA #EqualGame campaign, also has a personal goal: to see 30% female representation in grassroots football in the country. He noted that last season, there was only one female head coach in the Ukrainian Women’s Premier League.

The photos were taken at the main regional stadium established in the Soviet era, and an artificial pitch at the biggest school in the city. One snap features Diana, who has embraced the sessions and is “one of the brightest female stars in our grassroots initiative.” In 2019, she attended the Cologne for the Social Football Summit, at the invitation of the ex-German striker Lukas Podolski.

“I am sure she will become a great coach in the not-too-distant future,” Fomichov said.