Forbes: “At the beginning of the invasion, Akhmetov made it clear to Palkin that he was not up to football now”

Journalists from the financial and economic edition of Forbes spoke about the impact of the full-scale invasion of Rashists on the degree of involvement of Shakhtar President Rinat Akhmetov in club affairs.

“At the beginning of the invasion, Akhmetov made it clear to the general director of Shakhtar, Sergei Palkin, that he was not in the mood for football now, and that the management should solve problems on their own. Including financial ones. Over the past two decades, the club's losses amounted to $901 million, according to the Center for Economic Strategy. Now the club was to become self-sustaining.

For several months, Akhmetov was not interested in the club at all. “Everyone is used to the fact that a shareholder’s day is conditionally divided like this: 50% of the time he is involved in football, and 10% in business,” says a source in the SCM management. The war changed everything.

Excommunication cost Akhmetov quite dearly. Palkin estimates the lost income from the sale of legionnaires at least €50 million. In June, FIFA allowed foreign coaches and players to suspend their contracts with Ukrainian clubs for a year.

Israeli Manor Solomon, Brazilians Tete, Vinicius and Marlon left to play in European clubs on loan. “In the spring, the French Lyon were ready to pay about €20 million for Tete’s transfer, but after a FIFA circular, they refused,” says the SCM top manager.

In his opinion, there is also a miscalculation of the Shakhtar management in the lost profit. “Management is used to coordinating transfers with the shareholder, and did not have time to quickly orient themselves in order to sell all foreign players before the FIFA circular was activated,” he says.

In addition to transfers, Shakhtar's successful performance in European competitions allows Shakhtar to stay afloat. Mostly with the Ukrainians as part of the club, the club earned €42 million and in the spring of 2023 will continue to play in the second-ranking European tournament - the Europa League, ”Forbes reports.