Clube do Paraná changes its name in honor of the team from Ukraine

O Batel, from Guarapuavatemporarily changed its name, crest and uniform colors: the team from the interior of Paraná will now be called FC Mariupolin honor of the Ukrainian team of the same name that had its activities interrupted because of the war with Russia.

The objective of the team from Paraná is to keep Mariupol “alive” while the original team cannot resume activities in Ukraine. However, the risk of the European club ending up extinct is very high, after more than a year without activities and the dismissal of employees.

In addition, the club’s structure was detonated by the war, with the city occupied by Russian forces since May 2022, being one of the hardest hit by the war conflict.

Batel’s project foresees that the homage lasts, initially, six matches, three of them official, and three other friendly matches. The team is in the third division of Paraná.

The tribute is directly linked to the roots of the city of Guarapuava, in the region of Prudentópolis, where the largest Ukrainian community in Latin America is located. About 75% of the local population, estimated at 52,000 inhabitants, are of Ukrainian descent.