Shakhtar Donetsk launches €50 million court appeal over lost transfer fees

Ukrainian football club Shakhtar Donetsk is reportedly seeking €50 million in damages from FIFA over its temporary transfer rules.

Foreign players and coaches at Ukrainian clubs were allowed to suspend their contracts and sign for other teams this month amid the war.

The Ukrainian club has now appealed FIFA decision's to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), according to The Athletic (subscription required).

Professional football was suspended in Ukraine after Russia invaded the country on 24 February.

Shakhtar -- who were top of the league -- were hoping to sell some of their 14 foreign players to generate funds amid financial losses from the league's suspension. But FIFA's decision on June 21 to open an extraordinary transfer window meant the players could move abroad for free until June 2023.

"Because of FIFA’s decision, Shakhtar has lost a chance to transfer four foreign players for the total amount of about €50 million," Shakhtar's managing director Sergei Palkin wrote in a letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, obtained by The Athletic.

"Everyone believes we are one football family. This decision just crossed out this slogan," Palkin told the sports website in an interview.

"We are not one football family because nobody cares about Ukrainian clubs. This is a very big pity. FIFA does not care about us."

Euronews has contacted FIFA for a response to Shakhtar's complaint. The temporary decision by football's world governing body also affected foreign players and coaches at Russian clubs.

Last week, CAS ruled that Russian teams remain barred from international football competitions, including the UEFA Champions League, over the invasion of Ukraine.

CAS noted that it was the decisions of UEFA and FIFA that had