"This is a shame": Shakhtar CEO has criticized FIFA FIFA after the war in Ukraine
By the end of 2016, Shakhtar home games were held in Lviv, then in Kharkiv and Kiev. Russia's attack on Ukraine at the beginning of 2022 completely changed the situation. After February 2022, FC played home matches of European tournaments in Warsaw and then in Hamburg and Helsenkirchen. But Sergei Palkin said that although since the beginning of the war with Russia there was a positive experience of cooperation, the behavior of FIFA and some football clubs was unacceptable.
"The worst example happened after the start of the war when FIFA simply allowed our players to go for free. It cost us millions of euros. Legionnaires signed contracts with other clubs that sold them after a while. They did not train, did not develop them and still. They received a lot of money for them. It happened to such a valuable player as Menor Solomon, who is now playing for Lids United.
Palkin recalled that representatives of the Ukrainian Association did not even invite you to discuss possible solutions to this problem. "We tried several times to contact FIFA, but all the doors were closed. In my opinion, it is the biggest shame. We felt lonely and abandoned by FIFA. Because it was not the only case," said Shakhtar CEO. According to Palkin, FIFA was treated in the Ukrainian clubs in the same way as Russian. "But it was an attack on us by Russia. In our country people are killed.
To date, FIFA has even called to assure us in support. Never. I would not ask us to pay us millions of compensations. I understand that this is not So is simple. He said that before the war, Shakhtar had some unpaid payments for transfer. And FIFA has taken advantage of it. "At the beginning of the war, 40 million euros still remained unfortunate. The clubs we were guilty of money turned to FIFA because they wanted to get their money.
Then FIFA through intermediaries in the discussions told us that we should pay the clubs outstanding money, otherwise they We will deprive us of licenses for international competitions. clubs, "Palkin said. According to him, some FC wanted to take advantage of the difficult situation of Ukraine in negotiations regarding the transfer of players.
Their representatives emphasized this fact and wanted to reduce the price, but in the "miner" made it clear that the value of their players would not decrease. And this became clear in January 2023, when Michael Mudrik sold Chelsea for about 100 million euros. Palkin called this agreement "historical". "Never before the Ukrainian player has gone from hand to hand for such big money!" Arsenal "also wanted him and offered big money. But we chose" Chelsea ".
This Agreement helped us to show our power in the transfer market," he said . Shakhtar's CEO of FC said they are trying to ensure the safety of the team, but cannot fully control the situation. In early September, the club had a game in Kryvyi Rih. A few days before their arrival, the Aurora Hotel, where the players had to stop, was destroyed by Russian rockets. "Four people were killed. We could have been we," Palkin was going on in Ukraine.