Shakhtar demand €50M from FIFA: 'Little respect' shown to Ukrainian clubs

Shakhtar Donetsk are demanding €50 million in lost transfer revenue from FIFA following the world governing body’s ruling that allowed foreign players in Ukraine to suspend their contracts.

FIFA initially changed its employment guidelines in March “with the aim of effectively assisting players, clubs, and coaches impacted” by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, Shakhtar appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after the ruling apparently led four players to withdraw from transfer negotiations and leave the club for free.

“We had to do this because of FIFA’s highly unfair ruling,” Shakhtar chief executive Sergei Palkin told BBC Sport’s Neil Goulding. “The consequences mean we will continue to lose significant income from deals we expected to close.

“We would also like to highlight that given the situation Ukrainian clubs are facing with the war, there has been little respect shown towards these clubs by FIFA.

“FIFA has not looked to protect clubs and at no stage consulted with us to find a solution – they have seemingly ignored the perilous state that Ukrainian football clubs have been facing since the beginning of the war.”

Shakhtar are regulars in the Champions League and have produced numerous players who have starred across Europe, including Fernandinho and Willian. The club expected to receive significant fees from the sales of Manor Solomon and Tete, but the players’ respective transfers to Fulham and Lyon fell through after FIFA’s ruling, Shakhtar claim in their letter to CAS.

“The players’ agents advised them to withdraw from negotiations in order to leave the club without any compensation, which would allow them to secure more lucrative arrangements with new employers,” the letter reads, according to Goulding.

The Ukrainian champions had 14 foreign players in their squad and were hoping to raise funds to cover their loss of earnings and assist their humanitarian efforts after Russia’s invasion.

FIFA extended its contract rules for foreigners impacted by the war in Ukraine on June 21. This meant Ukrainian clubs only had until June 30 to sell before the players could suspend their contracts for a year.