Shakhtar director says FIFA ‘destroyed Ukrainian football’

Shakhtar Donetsk general director Serhiy Palkin criticized FIFA for allowing foreign players to unilaterally terminate their contracts with Ukrainian clubs at the wake of the Russian conflict.

“FIFA destroyed Ukrainian football, destroyed our foundation and our competitiveness. At the beginning of the whole situation, we had 40 million euros in liabilities. A common practice is to pay in installments. But suddenly we no longer had anything in return because the foreign stars could just leave us and all the income disappeared,” explained Palkin, cited by Bild.

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He added that FIFA had not held any consultation with the clubs.

FIFA also allowed foreign players and coaches to unilaterally terminate their contracts with Russian teams. This option was originally valid until June 30, 2022, after which it was extended twice: first until the end of the 2022/23 season, and now until June 30, 2024.