The CEO of Shakhtar Donetsk, Sergei Palkin, assured EFE on Monday that his club will go to the Swiss Federal Court and the European Commission in their fight to obtain economic compensation for the losses caused by the free departure of its players as a result of the FIFA emergency protocol before the war in Ukraine.
FIFA last year allowed the suspension of the contracts of soccer players and coaches in the Ukrainian league so that they could continue their sports activities in other countries, something that, Palkin said, caused his club to lose money at forty million euros. A claim for compensation filed with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne was dismissed on January 13 and Shakhtar is fighting for its survival.
“We are not satisfied with the decision of the TAS and we will file an appeal. We will go to the Swiss federal Court, to the European Commission, because we believe that FIFA broke the antitrust legislation,” Palkin told EFE.
Threat of more marches
“If at the end of this season FIFA continues to use this rule, many players we signed before will end their contracts and leave for free. How can we survive in this environment?” Palkin added.
The main players of the Shakhtar sports project such as the Brazilian Mateus Cardoso Lemos Martins ‘Teté’, who went to Lyon, or the Israeli Manor Solomon, joined by Fulham, left the Ukrainian club for free by taking advantage of the option provided of FIFA.
This is a ‘suspension’ of contracts, so these players must return to Shakhtar when this rule expires, but if it is extended beyond June 2023, Shakhtar will see its relationship with many players and they will lose for free.
Up to 70 million losses
“Our losses are at 40 million until June 2023, but if FIFA extends the rule for one year, we will have losses of 70 million. Some players will end their contracts and the losses will increase ,” Palkin said.
The manager expressed his willingness to “change the system”, which, in his opinion, is “very honest” with FIFA in these legal matters.
“We will also meet with the ECA (European Club Association) to create a series of documents that change the system, allowing us to win lawsuits against FIFA,” he said.
Mudryk, the latter
Of course, the club has been the star in recent weeks of a million-dollar operation that brought Ukrainian Mykhailo Mudryk to Chelsea for close to 100 million euros.
The owner of Shakhtar, Rinat Akhmetov, decided to donate 25 million to the Ukrainian fighters and their families, who fought the Russian siege for several months.
“The money will go to the defenders of Mariupol and their families, for the treatment of the fighters, including psychological therapy. If you think about what they are going through, you have to help them,” said Palkin.
Despite the hardships facing Ukraine, Palkin is convinced that once the war is over it will be possible to “rebuild” his country and make Shakhtar a stronger club.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
