Russia-Ukraine war: Ukrainian footballer Roman Yaremchuk breaks down in tears after THIS act by crowd – WATCH

Benfica striker Roman Yaremchuk (Source: Twitter)

Football clubs and fans around the world have united in showing their support and sympathy towards Ukrainian players ever since Russia invaded the country. Recently, clubs like Everton, Manchester United, and Manchester City among others in the English Premier League came up with gestures to express solidarity with the country during their matches last week as they wore ‘No War’ shirts on top of their training gear and displayed the flag of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Ukraine striker Roman Yaremchuk, who plays for Benfica in the Primeira Liga in Portugal, was moved to tears after a brilliant gesture from the fans during his side's clash against Vitoria SC on Sunday.

Yaremchuk began the match on the bench but was brought onto the field in the 62nd minute and he even received the captain's armband. Interestingly, the Benfica fans gave in a standing ovation as the Ukrainian striker entered the pitch and the gesture left Roman in tears. The fans applauded Yaremchuk while expressing their support for his home country amid Russia's invasion. Here’s the video:

This moment... Speachless!  pic.twitter.com/EpgNydnZer

— SL Benfica (@slbenfica_en) February 27, 2022

Notably, Yaremchuk had recently shown support towards Ukraine during the UEFA Champions League match against Ajax by removing his jersey to display his nation's emblem after scoring an equaliser in the 72nd minute of the match.

It is worth mentioning that, the football bodies of Poland and Sweden have reiterated their refusal to play the World Cup qualifiers against Russia. In a letter to football's world governing body, FIFA, the Polish FA said that, "as a football association, we refuse to participate in play-off matches in which the Russian national team appears."

On Sunday, FIFA imposed stringent measures on Russia "to reiterate its condemnation of the use of force by Russia in its invasion of Ukraine".

FIFA has barred Russia from playing at home and the team will now have to compete under the name "Football Union of Russia". No flags or anthems will be allowed either. Should the conflict escalate, a potential exclusion from football competitions is also not ruled out.