How Dnipro arrived for an audience with the Pope.
How did it happen? In 1988, Dnipro became the champion of the USSR for the second time in its history. The Iron Curtain fell, and European companies began collaborating with Soviet teams. The Italian firm Iacobucci, which manufactured aircraft equipment, approached Dnipro with an offer to become the club's title sponsor. Iacobucci provided Dnipro with sponsorship financial assistance amounting to $150,000 and tailored two sets of uniforms for the team featuring its brand name on the jerseys. As a bonus, Dnipro was granted a complimentary ten-day vacation trip to Italy at the end of the 1989 season.
The 1989 season was quite successful for Yevhen Kucherevskyi's team. Dnipro won the silver medals of the union championship and claimed the USSR Cup for the first time in its history. The team also performed well in the European Champions Cup. In the Round of 32, Dnipro defeated Northern Ireland's Linfield, and in the Round of 16, they overcame Austria's Tirol, advancing to the top eight club teams of the Old World. Following this, Dnipro's president, Ihor Sytnykov, received a message from the title sponsors. They arranged for the team to have an audience with the Pope! To make this happen, they needed to arrive no later than November 7, as the team was invited to the Vatican’s Palace of Congresses the very next day.
For the meeting with the Pope, Iacobucci designed a ceremonial uniform for Dnipro – maroon jackets and black trousers. The team was accommodated in the town of Frosinone near Rome. On the morning of November 8, the Ukrainians set off for the Vatican – the reception with the Pope began at 10:00 AM. Such receptions took place in the 5,000-seat Palace of Congresses four times a year. Delegations from various countries occupied pre-assigned sections. Dnipro was provided with a central section of the parterre.
Photos provided by the author of the FC Dnipro history website, Roman Lubinsky
The text was first published in November 2023.
Maxim Rozenko, Champion