Ralph Hasenhuttl: Hard to focus on football while people die in a needless war

Austrian Hasenhuttl has welcomed the many sporting sanctions imposed on Russia and concedes football is currently serving only as a distraction.

The sister of Saints’ Brazilian defender Lyanco is among those to have fled Ukraine, while Poland international Jan Bednarek united with his compatriots in refusing to play Russia in a World Cup qualification play-off.

Southampton host Premier League rivals West Ham in the FA Cup fifth round on Wednesday evening.

The south-coast club will then wear their yellow and blue away kit – the same colours as the Ukrainian flag – for Saturday’s top-flight trip to Aston Villa, a pre-planned move which is being turned into a show of solidarity.

“I think there is nobody around who is not talking about it because it affects us all,” Hasenhuttl said of the invasion.

“It’s a human catastrophe what happens and every team has players that are affected. We have with Lyanco, a sister who was in Ukraine but made it now back to Brazil, but you can see what it does with players and with everybody.

“I have been really struggling for one week to concentrate on my job, to concentrate on ridiculous football in the moment.

“The only good thing is that you have two or three hours during the game where you’re not thinking about it.

“The rest of the day is affected by worrying about children, women, people dying in a needless war.”

Sections of Southampton’s fanbase had been keen for the club to ditch their traditional red and white shirts in favour of the change strip for the Hammers’ visit to St Mary’s.

While that will not happen, Hasenhuttl is eager for the football club to continue proving a major boost for the city.

In-form Saints are flying high in the top half of the Premier League on the back of just one defeat in 10 games and bidding to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals for the third time in five seasons.

“As I always say, this is our business: to make people happy,” said Hasenhuttl.

“It is our job to do it and we will try to do it again and try our best to make a good evening for everybody.

“It’s really tough in the moment to find the right mindset for what we are doing but I think in the end we all have to function and it’s what we’re doing.”

Southampton dispatched Championship clubs Swansea and Coventry en route to the last 16.

They have taken four points from this season’s two league meetings with David Moyes’ fifth-placed Hammers, including a 3-2 Boxing Day success at London Stadium.

“They play a fantastic season,” Hasenhuttl said of the opposition.

“They have the target of the Europa League, and also the Champions League is reachable for them this season, that shows how amazing the season has been for West Ham.

“We have twice done a good job against them and we want to do another good game and this is why we are concentrating on preparing for a good cup fight.”