F91 Dudelange Host Friendly Matches with Karpaty Lviv Youth Teams

On Thursday 22 January 2026, youth players from F91 Dudelange and the Luxembourg U-17 national team played friendly matches against players from the Karpaty Lviv Youth Sports School at the Stade de Dudelange.

These matches formed part of the European tour of the Karpaty U14 and U16 teams, which began on Wednesday 21 January 2026 with fixtures in Wrocław, Poland.

Speaking to Chronicle.lu, Rostyslav Kapitanets, representative of the Karpaty Lviv youth sports school, explained the purpose and structure of the tour: “This tour is essentially a training camp, designed to give the children their first experience of playing against different European teams. We have brought two age groups with us: players born in 2012 and 2010, corresponding to the U14 and U16 categories. There are 25 players in the U14 group and 29 players in the U16 group, who will be divided into two teams and will play different friendly matches.”

He added that the fixtures in Luxembourg include matches against local club and national teams: “Our 2012-born players are playing against Dudelange U15. Our U16 teams will play two matches, against Dudelange U16–U17 and against a mixed Luxembourg national U16–U17 team.”

Gerry Schnitgen, President of F91 Dudelange, said the club agreed to host the matches after being approached shortly before Christmas, citing its facilities and infrastructure:“We agreed immediately, as we have the necessary infrastructure and facilities. From the outset, it was clear to us that organising these matches would not pose any problem.” He added that hosting teams from further afield is unusual for the club: “Normally, our international friendly matches are played against teams from the surrounding area, mainly from France, Belgium and Germany, what we refer to as the Greater Region, usually within a radius of around 50 kilometres. Hosting a team from further away is therefore something new for us.”

One of the co-organisers of the matches, Eugene Smoliak, who has been living in Luxembourg for more than six years, said the visit was made possible with the support of local football institutions and the Ukrainian community, after contacts with the Luxembourg Football Federation, F91 Dudelange and the club’s sponsor Luigi Tallarico, with additional support from organisations such as LUkraine. Explaining the motivation behind the project, he said: “We decided to organise a small European tour for the children so that they could take a break from nightly air-raid alerts, play football and live the kind of life that all children should be able to live. This is only the beginning, and I hope this story will continue. We would like to do this more often, because first of all it is interesting for the children, and secondly, it is very good practice for them.”

René Peters, head coach of the Luxembourg U17 national team, also highlighted the value of the matches as an important learning opportunity, noting that playing against teams from outside the region offers players exposure to different footballing styles and tactical approaches. “We are always looking for matches like this, because it is something different and it helps players get used to other systems and another way of thinking in football,” he said.

The Karpaty Lviv youth teams were defeated in all three matches played in Luxembourg; however, results were not the main focus of the initiative. Luigi Tallarico, sponsor of F91 Dudelange, stressed the importance of experience and attitude over outcomes: “They are still very young and have a lot to learn, but they are doing a very good job. What matters most is their motivation and strength. They are tired after travelling, but they want to play and to move forward, and that is very important. I wish them every success, because these children have the will to achieve something good.”

To conclude their European tour, the Karpaty Lviv youth teams are scheduled to play four further matchdays against local academy sides in Metz (France) on Friday 23 January, Strasbourg (France) on Saturday 24 January, Thun(Switzerland) on Friday 25 January, and Prague (Czech Republic) on Friday 27 January.