Palkin: How could you make the same decisions in relation to us and Russian football. They are the aggressor and we are the victims

CEO Miner Sergei Palkin commented on FIFA’s decision to extend until the summer of 2024 a rule allowing foreign players and coaches to unilaterally terminate contracts with Ukrainian and Russian clubs due to the war.

At the same time, this rule will not apply to players and coaches who returned to Ukraine after a full-scale invasion, continued to play in Ukraine or signed a new contract with Ukrainian clubs after the spring of 2022.

“We have already lost approximately 40 million euros because of this FIFA decision. And now we risk losing the same amount. FIFA says that they were pressured by the FIFPRO football players’ union, which demanded that all legionnaires be granted free agent status in general. And FIFA seems to have already compromised with its decision,” Palkin said.

“But it seems to me that this is a political issue – we understand what kind of relationship FIFA has with Russia. And this is another point that infuriates me incredibly – how could they make the same decisions in relation to us and Russian football. Hey, did you mix anything up there? They are the aggressor, and we are the victims. You are destroying us, not helping us.”

“It’s good that some consultations have now begun, talks about creating a fund to support Ukrainian football. It’s some sort of shift.”

Earlier it was reported that Shakhtar insists that a clause was included in the contracts of its newcomers, prohibiting the players from using the FIFA transfer rules.

In March, Shakhtar filed a complaint with the European Union Commission against FIFA regarding the current rule allowing legionnaires from Ukrainian clubs to unilaterally suspend contracts. The miners report that the club lost about 40 million euros due to the FIFA rule.

Earlier, the Miners appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and demanded that FIFA’s decision be canceled, and also planned to oblige the International Football Federation to pay damages in the amount of 50 million euros. CAS dismissed the appeal and determined that FIFA did not violate the law in its decision regarding the Ukrainian club.