UKRAINE-RUSSIA WAR: The Players, The Club and The Football World

Soccer ground

The world is facing a huge incident in the form of the Russian-Ukraine conflict. People from all parts of the world are affected, which includes the General public, Sports, Entertainment, Businesses etc. Many players all around the footballing world have also been affected whether is due to sanctions or suspensions that have been placed, the state of their native countries, or Security for themselves and their loved once. Although for some Players, Staff and Coaches are presented with alternatives, some are left with little to no options as conflict persists.

Ukraine players playing in other leagues have expressed their sadness to the incident. The Man-City player Oleksandr Zincheko and Everton player Vitaliy Mykolenko were some of the players who expressed his love for Ukraine and sadness towards this conflict.

Due to the conflict, players that are under contract with their respective clubs in Ukraine are facing complications as a result. Since FIFA has posted that Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF) received automatic suspension till the end of the season. Brazilian players that are stranded in Ukraine from Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk, have reached out to the Brazilian government for support in a video posted on Instagram. Players along with their families appealing for a solution as borders remained closed and fuel supply running out. Brazilian leaders responded to this situation on TV and stated this can only be done when it is safe to do so. With restrictions at the border and Ukraine dealing with such a crisis it’s possible that UAF might not be able to support the players living and safety, as well as not being able to leave the country where they could go back to their homeland.

Furthermore, foreign players that are contracted to the Russian clubs are also facing difficulties. As the Russian teams such as CSKA Moscow, Zenit St. Petersburg and more are no longer involved in European league games such as the UEFA Champions League, and the Europa league. FIFA has stated that players and coaches in their respective club if not reached an agreement can declare themselves temporarily suspended till the end of the season. Therefore, they will be considered out of contract and can have the liberty to sign with other clubs without any consequences. However, the registration of a new club must be done before April the 7th 2022.

This has created a lot of ups and downs in the world as well as the Football world. Players and clubs are left with a dilemma of what they could do. FIFA and other organization are tasked to find a suitable solution as suspension and freezing out players is very short-term fix in my opinion to protect the players and staff.