By Jacob Ajom

New Al Orooba forward, Viv Solomon-Otabor, has opened up on some of the intrigues of his time at Ukrainian club Rukh Lviv during the Russian invasion.

Solomon-Otabor joined Rukh Lviv in January 2022 but he had only one training session in Ukraine  when the Russian invasion of Ukraine led to the postponement of the football season.

Travelling with two team-mates, Solomon-Otabor drove to the Polish border and managed to cross after a 10-hour wait, before heading to Kraków to fly to London.

At that point, the most natural thing to do was to leave the club by mutual consent, but Rukh Lviv considered him too important to leave.

“My club in Ukraine offered me a contract but I was just focused on my football and making an impact. Yes I had inquiries around Europe and in Ukraine but they didn’t want to allow me to go. I then found a way to move on transfer,” he said.

“At first I was very annoyed and angry because I wanted to continue to elevate and test myself but at the same time I just had wisdom and if I apply myself well and stay focused with God, everything will happen naturally. I just have to believe and keep faith.”

He had 42 appearances in two seasons for the club, and scored three goals in the process before moving to China.

“That wasn’t easy. But I understood my value, and I respected the trust they had in me.

“It was a huge sacrifice moving to Ukraine in the first place. I left my family behind and went to a country that was on the brink of war—all because I believed in what I could achieve through football. I was determined to make something of myself, no matter the risks.”

He also recalled some of the tense moments during the invasion.

“It was a very strange experience but I knew I had to make this decision to go back and play to get game time and get my rhythm again. I think there was one instance but I was asleep at night so I didn’t really feel the tension untill I woke up and heard and saw everybody’s reaction and the shock on their faces.”