Youth coach Obi Ojimadu from one of Ukraine’s top football sides, FC Shaktar Donetsk, has become settled in Mullingar since leaving Ukraine when war broke out.
The team is regarded as one of the most successful is Eastern Europe and regularly competes in the Champions League (the world’s highest level of club football).
Nigerian-born Obi was the club’s under-11s and under-13s coach. He can now be seen on the side lines for Rahanine FC in Rochfortbridge as he aims to “give back” to the Irish people who “rescued” him from the conflict in Ukraine.
Obi’s life changed in a matter of minutes on February 24, 2022, while he was in Ukraine’s capital city, Kyiv, to complete his UEFA B coaching license.
UEFA, the governing body for football in Europe, requires its coaches to receive licences in order to coach at the highest level.
