Thus, the Shakhtar football director Darijo Srna criticized the International Football Federation (FIFA) for their one-sided rule, according to the Donetsk club, which allows legionnaires from the UPL to unilaterally suspend contracts with their employers and make further career decisions without compensation.

He spoke about this in an interview with the Mirror..

It should be noted that at the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, FIFA decided to introduce a special transfer rule for foreign players from the UPL, as well as the Russian Championship. These players have been allowed to suspend their contracts with their clubs until June 2022. In June, FIFA extended the rule for another year, until June 2023..

" FIFA does not protect Ukrainian football and players, as UEFA does. Clubs have to look for some form of compromise in this difficult situation, because otherwise we will lose a lot of players in whom we have invested, for free.

FIFA must understand that it is obliged to protect all players from Ukraine - this is their duty in this war. We must find a compromise, otherwise it will be difficult and we may have to go to court.

We will fight for our clubs because we want to be respected - we are the best club in Eastern Europe and we will fight for this image and respect for us. The rest helped us. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin helped us survive, but FIFA doesn't do it, and if they don't, we will sue.

"

Let us add that since the implementation of the rule, Shakhtar has been forced to sell four players: midfielders Marcos Antonio (Lazio, 6.5 million euros), Alan Patrick (Internacional, 2 million euros), as well as forwards David Neres. euros) and Fernando (Salzburg, 6 million euros). Some other foreigners leave the Donetsk club on loan, while the team and its head coach, Italian Roberto De Zerbi, may leave.

Shakhtar became the winner of the UPL season 2021/22, which was interrupted after 18 rounds due to a full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation.