Russian football clubs given €10.8m in Uefa ‘solidarity’ funds since Ukraine invasion | Russia

UEFA paid more than 10.8 million € (£ 9.4 million) in the “solidarity” funds for Russian football clubs because the Kremlin was banned from participating in European tournaments after the occupation of Ukraine.

Although the five Ukrainian clubs could not receive such funds, which were allegedly in the “military operation zone ,, were paid.

Solidarity payments are usually given to clubs that are not successful enough to enter European competitions. According to UEFA, it is designed to “maintain the balance of competition in the best parts of Europe in the light of additional income in addition to participation in European competitions”.

Vladimir Putin ordered the occupation of Ukraine in February 2022, the Russian clubs and the national team of the country were banned from participating in international competitions.

Despite the ban, UEFA paid the Russian Football Association in 2022-23, € 3.305,000, € 3,381,000 in 2023-24 and € 4.224,000 in the 2024-25 season.

According to UEFA Circular, a payment of € 6,209,000 was also paid in 2021-22. The football union is obliged to transfer the money to the clubs.

At the same time, the executives of the five Ukrainian clubs wrote to UEFA President Aleksander čeferin to complain about a “extraordinary situation ğı where“ solidarity ”payments were kept for 2023-24 and 2024-25 on 27 July.

The affected teams are Chornomorets in Odessa and the real medicine; IFC Metallurg from Zaporizhzhia; FSC Phoenix Mariupol from occupied South Port City; and FC Metalist from Kharkiv 1925.

The managers of the clubs wrote: “As a result of our communication with both the national association and the UEFA officials, the obstacle in the above payments was reported to be completely uncertain requirements that a bank in Switzerland is allegedly related to the geographical location of the ‘war zone’ in the war zone ‘.

Iz We have not received more detailed information or any legal justification for these restrictions in payments. The expressions used in relation to the ‘military operation zone’ are completely uncertain for us and do not correspond to the truth.

“The military operation zone or rather Russia’s military aggression zone is not a certain region of our country, but the whole of Ukraine.”

Some parts of the Zaporizhzhia region in Mariupol Port city and Southeast Ukraine are occupied, but this is not the case for Odessa or Kharkiv in the northeast in the south.

The letter of čaferin continues: “Many loyal Ukrainian football fans came to the fore since the first days of the attackers, many of them died with the names of their favorite people and their favorite teams on their lips.

“Therefore, for our country, at this difficult time, any additional financial assistance and support will help clubs to alleviate the burden of financial expenses that cannot be balanced with possible income due to military aggression conditions, as mentioned above.”

The UEFA spokesman said that they would initially provide a statement to explain the payments, but they could not offer any response later.

Revelation will create a new concern about UEFA’s approach to the Kremlin.

Russia, the Federation of Russian Football Union was not suspended in UEFA preserved its presence.

Polina YumashevaThe former wife of the Kremlin’s “Favorite Industrialist olur is the billionaire Oleg Deripaska, the UEFA’s governance and harmony committee. He is the daughter of Putin’s former advisor.

In September 2022, Oleksandr Petrakov, the ruler of Ukraine, was fined by UEFA in an interview with Guardian to buy arms against Russia after his occupation of his country.

In 2023, UEFA tried to re -present Russia’s under -17 -year -old team to international football, but the proposal was withdrawn after explicitly expressing the opposition of a dozen national associations, including the UK.

In a letter he wrote to UEFA last March, the Executive Committee of the Ukraine Football Association complained that Russian clubs were suspended every season.

The total number of points earned by a country in a season determines how many teams will take place in European tournaments, including the Champions League.

The number of points given to Russia is equal to the lowest level of Russian teams in the last five seasons, but critics argued that it weakens the impact of international suspension.