New Delhi: While Mikel Arteta’s men will be worried about Red cards and playing with just ten players on the pitch during the upcoming UEFA Champions League game, Shakhtar Donetsk’s worries are far beyond the pitch. Just two days ago, a Russian missile struck the Ukrainian team’s hotel.
According to local media, there were four fatal casualties and many more injuries in the attack in Kryvyi Rih, which is just 40 miles from the nearest territory under Russian occupation and is susceptible to regular air strikes. The club’s chief executive, Sergei Palkin, recently spoke to BBC Sport on the risks of running the team.
According to Palkin, of course, there was an imminent threat of the team staying so close to territories hit by Russian atrocities. Such situations mean that new players cannot be attracted to the team due to the risk factors, and the existing players are often not keen on travelling with the team.
Braving through gruesome conditions
Palkin described receiving emails and letters from concerned families and agents of players. While the security may have been tightened for the players, it is true that players have to be conditioned mentally to make appearances and play. During the Ukrainian Premier League, the game had to be stopped in the 51st minute due to airstrike threats, and the rest of the game will now be played at a later date.
There have been other instances this season when such interruptions have happened. This prompted captain Taras Stepanenko to comment about the worry he and his family often feel for the safety of the team. In fact, every player’s family is worried for the safety of the team. Stepanenko further lauded the foreign players who were still “pulling themselves together” for the game. He felt it was on the organizers to ensure the safety of the players was given priority.
As the war entered its second year, Georgi Sudakov mentioned to BBC Sport that even the players were concerned about the safety of their families. Players are constantly being made aware of their families’ situations during Russian conflicts.
Tiring journey to the Champions League
🔥 Arsenal 🆚 Shakhtar in the @UEFAYouthLeague! 🤩
🔴 The match will be available live for registered users on the club’s official website and the FC Shakhtar app ⬇️https://t.co/MeE6IFbd13
⚽️ The clash will take place on October 22. It kicks off at 15:00 (14:00 CET). pic.twitter.com/i4z5iiDpca
— FC SHAKHTAR ENGLISH (@FCShakhtar_eng) October 21, 2024
Champions League football, of course, does put one worry off Shakhtar players’ minds as they play away from the warzone. On Tuesday, far away from all the tensions, the Ukrainian team will take on the Gunners in the Emirates stadium, coming back to their playing ways after a long time.
Coming to London from Kyiv required multiple travel arrangements. Palkin commented that the physical taxation and mental state mean that the team is much less fresh than their opponents. Spending long days on the road has been the norm for the team who were evicted from their home city of Donetsk since pro-Russian sectarians took over the region and claimed it as the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR).
Since leaving Donetsk, they have played in six cities over the last decade, including Lviv, Kharkiv, Kyiv, and even outside Ukraine, in Warsaw, Hamburg, and Gelsenkirchen. Though the Russian invasion may have paused football activities, they restarted in the 2022-23 season.
Shakhtar has been one of the strongest teams in the Ukrainian Premier League over the past two decades. Since Palkin arrived, the team has been strong even on foreign soil, having won the league 15 times and the UEFA Cup in 2009. The club brought in a host of players from Brazil, given that they had great infrastructure during their days in Donetsk.
Keeping the spirit despite unusual circumstances
🧡 TEAM ⚒️#Shakhtar #UCL pic.twitter.com/7X9mKNOMEh
— FC SHAKHTAR ENGLISH (@FCShakhtar_eng) October 21, 2024
Palkin maintains that the management was quick to identify talents across the world, which ultimately led to the club’s success against big teams like Manchester United and Arsenal. This is a huge step from the days when the team used to play in Donbas Arena, which even hosted the 2012 European Championship semi-final between Spain and Portugal.
In the Arsenal camp, Oleksandr Zinchenko understands the worries about families that most players feel when away from home. Recently, in an interview with the Guardian, Zinchenko mentioned the need to make a permanent solution to the problem with a united effort.
Despite the problems, until this summer, with all the tensions surrounding the club, they were attracting talent until last year in South America, when they competed with teams like Real Madrid and Barcelona. Palkin believes that it isn’t easy to attract players who are constantly worried about the current situation in the country.
Palkin believes that the club still has a good future and that fighting their circumstances is worth it. While the situation is unique for the club, the spirit with which they are dealing with despite losing their home ground and fans, is the most moving.
