Former Birmingham winger Viv Solomon-Otabor reveals driving past tanks in race to flee Ukraine after joining Rukh Lviv
SIGNING for Rukh Lviv was supposed to be the lucky break Viv Solomon-Otabor had been waiting his whole career for.
But it quickly turned into the move from hell, ending with a frantic, ten-hour drive past armoured tanks to cross the Polish border and flee Russian-invaded Ukraine.
The Londoner, 26, felt he had turned a corner in his football career when he agreed a two-and-a-half-year deal with Ukrainian Premier League side Lviv in January.
He had no idea of what was to come when he spent three weeks with his new team-mates at a training camp in Turkey before returning to Ukraine on February 22.
Two days later, Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to attack.
Former Birmingham City and Wigan winger Solomon-Otabor recounted to SunSport: “I woke up at about five in the morning on the Thursday.
“My phone was buzzing. One of my mates messaged me on Instagram and said, ‘Please, can you come home, Russia has invaded the country’.”
Solomon-Otabor could not hear anything in the club complex where he was staying and went back to sleep.
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But when he woke up a while later his worst fears were confirmed when he switched on the news.
The club gave the players the option of being put up in temporary accommodation in Poland or going home, and sorted transport to the border.
But Solomon-Otabor made the journey instead by private car, driven by Senegalese club-mate Elhadji Pape Diaw, with Lassana Faye and Ange-Freddy Plumain in the back.
He said: “I’ve never seen a tank in real life. To actually see five drive past on our way to the border, ready to defend their country, was surreal.
“I was trying not to answer messages. Everyone kept on messaging me and I felt if I continued to respond, I would probably have been scared.
“When we got to the Polish border, it was packed. Nothing was moving.
“Everybody was calm, but you could see the fear in their faces.”
Gradually, things did move and after a ten-hour wait, Solomon-Otabor and his team-mates made it out of the country at half-past midnight.
A three-hour drive to Krakow then ensued, before a flight back to London where he met his very relieved mother and sister.
'I'M JUST FORTUNATE TO BE HOME'
Solomon-Otabor explained: “When we crossed the border, we could finally breathe.
“But as we were driving through Poland, you could see a lot of Ukrainian people walking on the motorways.
“It wasn’t until we got home and I saw my family that I realised how bad the situation was.”
Solomon-Otabor has been in touch with one of his fellow squad members who has reported Lviv is safe — for now.
Fifa has allowed foreign players contracted to clubs in Ukraine to sign temporarily for other clubs outside.
It means Solomon-Otabor has until April 7 to secure a move elsewhere.
But he feels his own career seems trivial in comparison to what the Ukrainian people are going through.
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He added: “As of now, short term, I’m looking for something else.
“But I’m just fortunate to be at home with my family.”