Ignoring Ukraine: Gianni Infantino's Russia remarks appall soccer officials in war-torn nation

KYIV—Four years after Russian tanks rolled across the border, Ukraine’s soccer community thought it had seen the worst. Stadiums have been relocated, players spend nights in bomb shelters, and Champions League dreams are now staged in Polish cities. Yet the wound reopened last week when FIFA president Gianni Infantino told Sky News that Russia’s blanket ban from world football “has not achieved anything” and should be re-evaluated.

The interview, given as Ukraine marks the fourth anniversary of a war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions, ignited fury from locker rooms to government offices. Serhiy Palkin, chief executive of Shakhtar Donetsk, said he watched the segment in disbelief. “People say to take football out of politics. It’s not correct, because it’s part of our life,” Palkin told Yahoo Sports. “He’s supporting Russia and destroying Ukraine. It looks like he is ignoring Ukraine.”

Infantino, who once stood alongside Vladimir Putin at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium during the 2018 World Cup, argued that isolation has “just created more frustration and hatred.” The remarks landed just as European officials convened in Brussels for their annual congress. While no formal motion to lift Russia’s suspension was tabled, UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin conceded that “we are looking into everything, every day. Let’s see what the future brings.”

Inside Ukraine, the reaction was swift. Youth and sports minister Matvii Bidnyi branded the FIFA chief’s comments “irresponsible—not to say infantile.” Andriy Shevchenko, the national team’s all-time leading scorer and now president of the Ukrainian FA, requested an urgent meeting with Infantino in Brussels. “We sat down. He listened,” Shevchenko told the Daily Mirror, offering no further detail.

The controversy underscores a daily reality Ukrainian clubs cannot escape. Shakhtar has not played in Donetsk since 2014, when Russian-backed separatists seized the region. The club’s current “home” is 750 miles west in Lviv, where players sleep in a hotel and crowd size is capped by the number of seats inside reachable bomb shelters—usually 2,500. Travel to European fixtures begins with a 110-mile bus ride to the nearest open airport in Poland; border queues can stretch 12 hours. Kickoff times are dictated by air-raid sirens as much as television schedules.

“The biggest problem is at night because the Russians try to bomb our cities,” Palkin said. “Sometimes our team doesn’t sleep all night and then the next day we have to play an official game. What kind of football can we show when we don’t sleep?”

Since the invasion, Ukraine’s league has fallen from ninth to 25th in Europe’s coefficient rankings, stripping the champion of an automatic Champions League group-stage place. Recruiting abroad has become a sales pitch laced with risk assessments. “I spent a lot of time talking to agents and parents trying to convince them to come,” Palkin said. “We can’t compete like we did before war.”

Still, Shakhtar clinched back-to-back domestic titles in 2022-23 and 2023-24 and currently sits second this season. In continental play, the club reached the Conference League round of 16. The roster blends 13 Ukrainians with a dozen Brazilians, guided by Turkish head coach Arda Turan.

Ukrainian frustration spilled over at the Winter Olympics in Italy this month. Skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified for wearing a helmet displaying photos of Ukrainian athletes and coaches killed in the war; freestyle skier Kateryna Kotsar was barred from using “Be Brave Like Ukrainians” on her headgear. Heraskevych posted on Instagram: “This is the price of dignity.”

Palkin argues that such silencing mirrors Infantino’s stance. “The Olympic Games is one space where you can pay attention to the situation,” he said. “Infantino is always saying we are one football family, but he never pays attention to Ukrainian football. He just does everything to destroy our football, not protect our football.”