(Football news) Shakhtar Donetsk have demanded 50m euros (£43m) from FIFA due to lost transfer fees. The football’s world governing body had declared in June that foreign players in Ukraine could suspend their contracts after Russia’s invasion. This resulted in four players leaving the club for free, instead of Shakhtar Donetsk approving a sale and earning money out of their investments. The invasion has resulted in tremendous loss for the Ukrainian clubs and selling their assets was one of the only viable ways for the teams to recoup some money..

Speaking to BBC Sport, Shakhtar Donetsk chief executive Sergei Palkin said “We had to do this because of Fifa's highly unfair ruling. The consequences mean we will continue to lose significant income from deals we expected to close. We would also like to highlight that given the situation Ukrainian clubs are facing with the war, there has been little respect shown towards these clubs by Fifa. Fifa has not looked to protect clubs and at no stage consulted with us to find a solution – they have seemingly ignored the perilous state that Ukrainian football clubs have been facing since the beginning of the war." 

Shakhtar Donetsk have issued a letter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) which said that midfielder Manor Solomon blocked his permanent transfer to Fulham due to FIFA’s ruling while Brazilian midfielder Mateus Cardoso Lemos Martins’ move to Olympique Lyonnais also fell apart. Sergei Palkin accused football agents of taking advantage of Ukraine’s situation by taking transfer fees for themselves due to FIFA’s ruling instead of letting the parent clubs recoup their investments. He said “In absence of any reaction from Fifa, we will have no choice but to seek damages compensation from the competent courts. I believe a more meaningful support initiative to Ukrainian clubs is needed from Fifa." 

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