"Left in the lurch"
Donetsk anger: FIFA’s behavior “a disgrace”
General director Serhij Palkin of Ukrainian Champions League participant Shakhtar Donetsk has criticized the world governing body FIFA in harsh terms. The 49-year-old criticizes the lack of solidarity in times of war and speaks of a "disgrace".
"The worst example happened after the start of the war, when FIFA simply let our players move on a free transfer. That cost us many millions of euros," Palkin told the portal t-online and spoke of a "disgrace".
"The foreign players signed contracts with other clubs, which they then sold some time later. That is unfair. They didn't train these players, didn't develop them and still got a lot of money for them. And FIFA supported this," complained Palkin, adding: "They didn't even invite us Ukrainian clubs to talk about possible solutions to this problem. We tried several times to get in touch with FIFA, but every door was closed." They felt alone and abandoned by FIFA.
Special regulation for transfers
After the start of the Russian war of aggression, the world governing body decided on a special regulation for transfers of foreign players and coaches from clubs in Russia and Ukraine. This allows professionals to join other clubs without having to pay a transfer fee. FIFA recently extended the special regulation until June 30, 2025 and announced that a "significant number" of players and coaches would be allowed to unilaterally suspend their contracts.
Palkin also criticized: "To date, there has not even been one call from FIFA assuring us of their support. Not a single one. I wouldn't have demanded that they pay us millions in compensation. I can understand that this would not be so easy to do. But this behavior by FIFA is a disgrace."
Donetsk has not been able to play its home games for years because of the war. In the Champions League, the team is playing its home games in Gelsenkirchen this season. On Wednesday, the team will play FC Bologna on matchday 1.
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