Those Ukraine flags at the Amex a reminder of what is really important

Sat in my seat at the Amex before the early kick off between Brighton and Liverpool, I got lost for a moment looking at the deep green grass of the immaculately mown pitch, as the water from the sprinklers caught the sunlight. It might, I thought, be a perfect afternoon.

Then the sight of a yellow and blue Ukrainian flag in the south west corner snapped me back to reality. As we prepared to watch the Albion take on one of the best teams in the world, people in Eastern Europe were being killed.

The last 10 games have produced six defeats, one win, three draws and an exit from the FA Cup. The last five games have seen 12 goals conceded with only one scored.

We have dropped from the lower reaches of the top 10 to 13th or possibly 14th, with games against Arsenal and Spurs (twice) interrupted only by a home game against Norwich City to come.

Any other manager at any other club might be in trouble. Any other season and a run like this would have meant likely relegation for Brighton, whose impressive start to the campaign is keeping them away from the clutches of the Championship.

Having taken five points from the last three times we have faced Jurgen Klopp’s men, we may have hoped for something. Instead, another game slipped away from us.

From a period when it seemed we couldn’t lose, we have entered a phase where it seems we cannot do anything but lose. Hopes of a top 10 finish are vanishing.

Here is the thing though. It doesn’t matter. For fans of Dynamo Kyiv and Karpaty Lviv, their position in the Ukrainian Premier League is of no importance now.

Supporters of Metalist Kharkiv, Dnipro or Chornomorets Odesa aren’t thinking of European qualification or a run of bad results.

For them the walk to the ground, the pre-match rituals, the half-time snack, the drinks in the bar with friends after the game, they have all ended.

Normal life has gone. For many, so have their homes and family members under a murderous storm of shells and missiles.

For them, their lives will never be the same again. And who knows if and how this war will come to us in the weeks and months ahead.

The pandemic shook us out of the normality of a football season happening at all, followed by games going ahead without fans.

This war on our doorstep should shake us out of our complacency and privilege we have enjoyed since our grandparents or great-grandparents fought the last European conflict.

Brighton will hopefully finish their season, probably ending in much the same place as the last five. Maybe a place or two higher if we are lucky but with little real threat of relegation. And we should be content with our lot. No, more than that, we should be thankful.

Football is just a game, not life and death. It is still an important part though of our normal lives and our communities. Our sporting hopes and dreams are a distraction from our everyday stresses and struggles.

For so many Ukrainians today, tonight and tomorrow, their struggle is for their towns and cities, to survive and fight off an invading army intent on mass slaughter.

For now their football stadiums sit empty and silent apart from the bombing. I hope one day soon a free Ukraine sees their football fans back with no more immediate concerns than whether their team wins after 90 minutes. I hope Brighton get to play one of their teams in Europe one day.

In the Saturday early-afternoon sun I saw that flag across our ground and I cried for them. Slava Ukraine.

Warren Morgan @WarrenBHAFC