Consequences of the war for football: That's why a FIFA is outraged

The summer break in professional football is coming to an end, the first leagues are playing again, others will follow in the coming weeks, and the special features of the game year are being pointed out everywhere.

There has never been a World Cup dividing a season, and it is slowly becoming clear that the war in Ukraine also has a formative influence on the usual processes.

Some clubs even benefit.

For example, Bundesliga clubs have recruited players who have become bargains due to a special regulation.

In March, the world governing body FIFA ruled that the contracts of foreign professionals who are under contract with Russian or Ukrainian clubs can be suspended until the end of June due to the war, and with no peace in sight the regulation was finally extended by a year to the beginning July 2023 extended.

Schalke made a move at Spartak Moscow and signed Czech international Alex Kral, Hertha BSC strengthened their squad with Nigerian Chidera Ejuke from CSKA Moscow and Dinamo Moscow's Ivan Ordets from Ukraine will defend for VfL Bochum next season.

It's nice for the players, but some Ukrainian clubs are appalled.

In a letter to FIFA, which the FAZ has seen, Sergiy Palkin, the general director of Shakhtar Donetsk, complains that several professionals immediately withdrew from promising negotiations because completely new options suddenly presented themselves.

"Due to the FIFA decision, FC Shakhtar missed the opportunity to transfer four foreign players for a total amount of around 50 million euros," writes Palkin, whose club is preparing for the upcoming Champions League season and will be doing so again at the end of August to enter a national league operation adapted to the circumstances of the war.

"Dear Mr. Gianni Infantino"

Actually, the world association wanted to protect foreign players from the consequences of the Russian attack with the regulation, which is an understandable request.

Especially since sport in Ukraine is used as an instrument of war, as the words of Andriy Pavalko, President of the Football Union of Ukraine, show: “The conduct of football competitions during the war is not just about sport, it is about fearlessness of our people to demonstrate the indomitable spirit and desire for inevitable victory," the Guardian quoted Pavelko as saying.

The resumption of play in the first division under strict military protection is “a unique initiative in world history: football against war under war conditions, football for the sake of peace”.

It is understandable that not everyone wants to take part, as well as the anger of Shakhtar's club boss.

He was "frustrated because FIFA is acting arbitrarily against the interests of Ukrainian football," Palkin said in a second letter to "Dear Mr. Gianni Infantino," the FIFA President, and announced the consequences: "There until July 11 If there was no reaction from FIFA in 2022, FC Shakhtar Donetsk has no choice but to seek damages from the competent courts," the last paragraph reads.

The case is now with the International Sports Court CAS, it is about 50 million euros.

FIFA has so far left an inquiry from the FAZ about the process unanswered.

But the association is not alone in its clumsiness in dealing with the aftermath of the war.

The European Football Union UEFA has also been criticized because although it has excluded Russian clubs from its competitions, four Belarusian teams are currently playing for participation in the Conference League.

In August, one of these teams could face 1. FC Köln in the play-off round, which is causing the Rhinelanders great uneasiness.

Christian Keller and Philipp Türoff, the managing directors of the Bundesliga club, therefore “urge the continental association UEFA to comply with the recommendation of the IOC (International Olympic Committee, ed.) to also include the teams from Belarus in addition to the Russian teams with immediate effect from excluded from all European competitions”.

President Werner Wolf is even clearer: “Belarus is a vassal state.

It is used as a staging area for the Russian army.

The President has threatened European states.

That is why Belarus must be considered an indirect participant in the war.

Genocide is happening in Ukraine, children are being killed.

We must continue to draw attention to this.”

Whereby the people of Cologne also fear that beyond such moral thoughts, their great European Cup dream will lose its magic power in the shadow of the war.

Should they meet FK Homel, Dinamo Minsk, BATE Barysaw or Shakhtar Salihorsk in the play-off games, the away game would have to take place on neutral ground without an audience, which would be "absurd" for Effzeh supporters thirsting for international football experience. says wolf.

The Cologne team would compete against such an opponent and use the stage for a political demonstration "to point out the injustice situation," announced the club president.

And that might not be such a bad thing, as UEFA seem to be sitting it out.

When asked by the FAZ, a spokesman said the association could “only refer to what has already been communicated on this subject”: that Ukrainian and Belarusian teams are not allowed to meet and that Belarusian teams will play in empty stadiums on neutral ground in UEFA competitions have to.