The general director of Shakhtar stated that the return to Russian football means ignoring the war and atrocities against Ukraine.

General Director of Donetsk Shakhtar Sergiy Palkin made a strong statement in response to the words of FIFA President Gianni Infantino for the possible return of Russian teams to international competitions.

Kerivnik of the Donetsk club said that such a position is unpleasant in the minds of the large-scale war that Russia is waging against Ukraine.

“The statement of FIFA President Gianni Infantino about the possible return of Russian teams to international competition is again at odds with reality, and I am deeply disappointed with these words.

The reality is this: we are already living in the minds of a full-scale war. Hundreds of thousands of people died. Places are planned. Civil, sports, energy and thermal infrastructure is poor. The lives of millions of people are evil"

A member of the club also publicly appealed to Infantino with low power and with a call to especially come to Ukraine.

“I want to publicly ask Mr. Infantino: what prompted him to make such a statement at once And why, despite the fate of the war, have you never come to Ukraine to see for yourself what is happening here

Please come and see how people live. How children play football in Kharkov, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Kiev and Lvov - to the sounds of wind alarms, bomb alarms, under the constant threat of missiles and drones,” Palkin said.

The general director of Shakhtar also spoke about the tragedies that are happening in Ukraine today due to Russian aggression, and said that football decisions cannot be taken into account from reality..

" Please don’t fall in love with our graves - Dmitry Riznik, who, having lost his brother in the war, and Denis Tvardovsky, who also died, are stealing Ukraine.

Just two days ago, 16 Ukrainian miners were killed when a Russian drone got onto the bus they were traveling in. Many of them were Shakhtar’s patients. This lady doesn't hesitate. І statement about the return of Russian football - not “a shortcut to the world”. Tse prodovzhennya tsyogo zhahu. Let’s try to make sure that war and aggression never ceases,” Palkin said.

At the end of the day, Palkin emphasized that Russia’s turn to international achievements is not only sporting, but also serious moral heritage.

" And I have no right to flatten my eyes for evil. Mr. Infantino is also willing to reflect on the fact that, encouraging Russia's turn to international business, he praises not only the sporting decision, but also the political and moral.

Such a decision is not consistent with the responsibility for the participation of the committed war crimes and the crimes against humanity committed by Russia against Ukraine,” Palkin added.

It was previously reported that FIFA does not plan to consider the return of Russia to international tournaments.