2024-09-17 22:00:04
They didn’t even invite us Ukrainian clubs to discuss possible solutions to this problem. We tried several times to contact FIFA, but every door was closed. For me, that is the biggest shame. We felt alone and abandoned by FIFA. Because that was not the only case.
Before the war, we still had a few outstanding payments to some clubs. It’s normal to pay transfers in instalments. When the war started, we still had 40 million euros outstanding. The clubs we owed money to went to FIFA because they wanted their money. FIFA then told us through intermediaries in the talks that we should pay the clubs the outstanding money, otherwise they would withdraw our licenses for international competitions. I replied: “Guys, how am I supposed to pay that if you let our players go for free and we can’t make any money?” But the decision was made. They treated us the same as Russian clubs. But it was an attack by Russia on us. People are dying in our country.
So you still haven’t received an apology from FIFA?
To date, FIFA has not even called us to assure us of support. Not a single one. I would not have demanded that they pay us millions in compensation. I can understand that this would not be so easy to do. But FIFA’s behaviour is disgraceful.
You now have more foreign players under contract again. Last season alone, six professionals from South America signed with Shakhtar. How did you manage that? The war is still going on, after all.
It is still difficult to convince the players to move. But we have now developed a number of procedures and standards to ensure safety as far as possible. However, we cannot, of course, fully control the situation. At the beginning of September we had an away game in the city of Kryvyi Rih. A few days before our arrival, the hotel where we were supposed to be staying was destroyed by Russian missiles. Four people died. That could have been us.