The oligarch owner of Shakhtar Donetsk says six players who refused to return to the city amid concerns over the conflict in eastern Ukraine could face heavy sanctions. Five Brazilians and an Argentinian player refused to fly back to Donetsk after a pre-season friendly in France on Saturday because of concerns over the conflict.
Pro-Russian rebels have taken control of Donetsk, with the Ukrainian army attempting to regain control.
Shakhtar president Rinat Akhmetov confirmed on the club’s website that Brazilians Alex Teixeira, Fred, Dentinho, Douglas Costa and Ismaily, and the Argentinian Facundo Ferreyra did not fly back after the game in Lyon.
“Players have contracts that they have to abide by. If they do not come, I think, they will be the first to suffer,” Akhmetov said.
Shakhtar are currently not allowed to play home matches at their Donbass Arena as a result of the conflict.
The Ukrainian Football Federation has yet to decide where the club will play in the new season, which begins this weekend.
“Hopefully, the mind and heart will prevail over misunderstanding, and the players will not follow temptation and fear, “ Akhmetov said.
Akhmetov, who is ranked among the country’s wealthiest men, said there was “nothing to fear” and the club would not be taking players to dangerous places.
“We want to play in Donetsk very much, but, unfortunately, at the moment we cannot do it,” he said.
“We will play where we will be allowed to: we would like to do it in Kharkiv. The decision regarding the championship is taken by the Ukrainian Football Federation. Through our game, we will call for peace and try to bring joy to our fans.”
The club’s Romanian coach, Mircea Lucescu, told Segodnya newspaper, said the Brazilian players had been influenced by their agent, the Iranian-born British agent Kia Zhoorabkhyan.
“His goal is to make the players free agents, just to make money.
This is wrong. This is his alibi,” Lucescu said.
“He wants to make use of the situation in the country and get the players for free. But they have contracts.”
Ferreyra has another agent but “he also expects to capitalise on the situation,” the coach added.
