Shakhtar will file a lawsuit against the international union for a huge amount. And is it good for Russia?
Back in the spring, FIFA showed its readiness to take unprecedented measures in order to resolve the situation in Russian football. Or rather, not to adjust, but to radically change. The decisions of sports officials instantly left our clubs without international practice and sponsorship money, and subsequently legionnaires.
The last measure also affected Ukraine, which, as you know, in the West, they are trying with all their might to save … However, this does not seem to apply to local football. FIFA’s next decision will hit the Ukrainians in the same way as the Russians – it can finally bleed the Premier League.
One club is already ready to sue FIFA. Federation can get on a tidy sum!
Unprecedented measures
In recent months, the world football authorities, as you know, have taken a whole range of measures against Russia. It all started with the total isolation of our football: in the spring, Russian clubs were expelled from European competitions, and the national team from all international tournaments, including the World Cup. Later, these bans were extended indefinitely, at the same time scaring away the large foreign sponsors who helped our football.
However, one of the most unexpected decisions was made a little later. In March, FIFA and UEFA decided to open a special transfer window for players playing in the RPL. Foreign players were given the opportunity to leave Russian clubs until the end of the season, unilaterally suspending their contracts. Many took advantage of this option, and by April, most of our teams were left without legionnaires, and we had to staff the squads again.
Of course, Russian football lost from this measure. However, in the summer, FIFA decided not to stop there and extended the unique offer for another season. The outflow of foreigners from Russia has intensified, and now even large clubs, including CSKA, Zenit and Dynamo, have begun to suffer losses.
Miner disaster
Not everyone remembers, however, that this essentially punitive policy also affected Ukraine. The decisions of the sports authorities concerned both states at once, so the players, who feared for their safety in Ukraine, also began to leave the country. In April alone, almost two dozen players left the Ukrainian Premier League, and in the summer football migration intensified.
Shakhtar suffered especially hard because of this. Due to the difficult financial situation, the club generally had to temporarily stop all payments under contracts – it is not surprising that the players began to flee the team. Legionnaires were the first to refuse cooperation with the impoverished club. In April, Brazilians Vitao and Alan Patrick left the Pitmen (both moved to Internacional), and in July four more compatriots joined them: Fernando (left for Salzburg), David Neres (Benfica), Pedrinho (Atletico Mineiro) and Marcus Antonio (Lazio).
Considering how much the team depended on the Brazilian legionnaires, this loss is really colossal, and it is not clear how it will be possible to make up for it in the near future, especially today it will be, to put it mildly, difficult to attract newcomers from overseas to Ukraine…
The departure of the team’s head coach hit Shakhtar even harder. Promising specialist Roberto De Zerbi came to the club to build a dream project, but faced insurmountable problems. This summer, the talented Italian, according to foreign media, nevertheless decided to terminate the contract, which runs until 2023.
FIFA will pay!
It is not surprising that the Pitmen were horrified by what was happening, and are trying to find a way to somehow compensate for the damage. According to journalist Igor Tsyganyk, Shakhtar wants to sue because of the FIFA rule, which allowed legionnaires to suspend the contract with the club for next season. Now the Ukrainians want to recover from the international union… 50 million euros!
Their move at Shakhtar is motivated by a very simple reason: if in the current situation FIFA undertook to protect the players, then it must protect the clubs as well. Now the organization must compensate for the damage caused to the Pitmen by its own policy. The union left the club without income from player sales and significantly worsened its sporting prospects – one must answer for such “saving” measures!
It is reported that Ukrainians believe in the success of their enterprise. If Shakhtar really manages to secure compensation from FIFA, this case could set an important precedent – and give hope to both other Ukrainian and Russian teams suffering because of the politics of the international union. If the Pitmen win, the Russians will have a really powerful basis for disputes with the football authorities – maybe we will manage the situation in our favor.
