Shakhtar owner to donate part of Mudryk fee to Ukraine war victims

SHAKHTAR Donetsk owner Rinat Akhmetov will donate more than 20 million ( 24.4 million) of the transfer fee received from Chelsea for the sale of Mykhailo Mudryk to help support those affected by the war in Ukraine.

The 22-year-old winger was unveiled at Stamford Bridge during the Blues’ 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday, following his 62 million transfer from the Ukrainian champions, a fee that could rise to 88 million depending on performances.

It is the highest transfer fee ever received by a Ukrainian club, and comes as a financial boost for Shakhtar after the Court of Arbitration for Sport last week ruled that FIFA acted legally in allowing foreign players to cancel their contracts at Ukrainian clubs following Russia’s invasion last February.

Shakhtar claimed they had lost out on more than 35 million in transfer revenue.

“I can confirm that Mykhailo Mudryk is leaving FC Shakhtar to play at Chelsea Football Club in the English Premier League, the strongest national championship,” Akhmetov said in a statement.

“Most importantly, I want to thank the entire civilized world for helping Ukraine. We can only talk about Ukrainian football because of the Ukrainian army, the Ukrainian people and the tremendous support we have had during this incredibly difficult time. “I am donating 25 million of the transfer fee to help our soldiers, defenders and their families. The money will be used to cover different needs, from providing medical and prosthetic treatment and psychological support, to meeting specific requests. It will be managed by an independent professional team.”