Shakhtar will face Basel in the quarter-finals of the Europa League in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. The teams' chances were assessed by Thomas Grimm, who worked as the president of the Ukrainian Premier League for two years, and therefore is well acquainted with both teams..

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The Swiss functionary highly appreciated the management of the Donetsk club, and also expressed respect for the support of all initiatives.

" With a budget of around 60 million francs, they are not poor.. Both management and team model are top. During my stay in Ukraine, Shakhtar always supported my intentions, so I feel respect and sympathy for this club "

For Thomas Grimm, the hallmark of the Donetsk club was the knowledge of English by the majority of employees.

" Miner could freely play in the Top League. In Donetsk, they had a top-level training base, which, unfortunately, they cannot use now because of the war in Donbass.. And their scheme to recruit young Brazilian players, train them and then sell for more, works "

The Swiss believes that the main problem of Shakhtar is the war in Donbass. “They live and train in Kiev,” says Grimm, “and then fly on their own plane to the games in Kharkov, which is 520 km from the capital..

The stadium in Donetsk used to be one of the most beautiful in Europe, but now it has partially turned into ruins, the photos from this place are shocking "

The owner of the club Rinat Akhmetov remained a mysterious character for Thomas Grimm.

" But if you believe the people who know him, then he is quite shy.. He hasn't appeared at the stadium in years. "

In conclusion, Grimm added: "

The Shakhtar vs Basel match will take place in Gelsenkirchen on Tuesday, August 11, and will start at 22:00 Kyiv time.