FIFA robs Ukrainian football
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Following Russia’s attempted invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) made a decision that has cost Ukrainian clubs huge sums of money. The decision was that all foreign players and coaches could leave Ukrainian and Russian clubs free of charge. Of course, the decision was made so that players who had traveled to Ukraine could freely leave a country that was at war. Nevertheless, the decision is hugely costly for Ukraine.
FIFA took advantage of the war
Shakhtar Donetsk and Dinamo Kyiv are the two big clubs in Ukrainian football. Both clubs are known for player development and have bought foreign players, developed them and sold them on for a profit. The list of players that these two clubs have developed is long and includes both foreign and Ukrainian players.
By FIFA’s decision, the revenue base for Ukrainian clubs was significantly worsened. It is understandable that foreign players who were under contract in February 2022 could find new clubs. The problem is that Ukrainian clubs did not receive any compensation. Nor compensation for the development of young players.
FIFA does not distinguish between Russian and Ukrainian clubs, which is very strange. Russian clubs were banned from international tournaments after the war. So was the national team. Ukrainian clubs and national teams are allowed to participate, but the matches are understandably played outside Ukraine.
The fact that FIFA did not provide compensation to Ukrainian clubs is in many ways subsidizing the very largest clubs in Europe that the Ukrainian clubs normally sell players to.
Shakhtar Donestk is cursed
Shakhtar Donetsk is angry with FIFA. After the outbreak of war in 2022, the club realized that the foreign players would leave Ukraine. The club immediately started a process to sell them. Shakhtar had agreements with a number of clubs to sell when FIFA broke in and made these players’ transfers free. Recently, FIFA extended the arrangement whereby foreign players can leave Ukraine free of charge. Ukrainian clubs play their matches in the domestic league without spectators in the stands. This is of course done for safety reasons. The revenue base for the clubs is limited.
FIFA boasts on its website that humanitarian aid worth 1 million dollars was sent to Ukraine. This amount is a fraction of the losses suffered by the Ukrainian clubs. Nor has the European Football Association (UEFA) contributed to any significant extent.
A moral question is also directed at the foreign clubs that received free players from Ukraine. What are the morals of not sending money to the clubs from which the players came? Where is the real solidarity in football?
Sources:
Shakhtar says it stands to lose €80 million after FIFA regulation extended (insidethegames.biz)
Shakhtar Donetsk – keeping Ukraine football alive in the shadow of war | The National (thenationalnews.com)