Shakhtar Donetsk sporting director Darijo Srna criticised FIFA president Gianni Infantino over FIFA's treatment of Ukrainian football during the ongoing war. GOAL said Srna delivered the remarks in London prior to Shakhtar's Champions League meeting with Sporting CP on Tuesday evening.
Call for a visit to Ukraine
During an interview with talkSPORT, Srna demanded that Infantino travel to Ukraine and provide backing for the nation's clubs.
Srna said: "FIFA is business. If you compare President Ceferin with Infantino, they are two different people. The one who likes football is Mr Ceferin. He protects all the clubs. He doesn't want to sell football to rich people. Football is for everyone, not just for rich people."
Criticism of FIFA
Srna said: "FIFA, on the other hand, are doing business. We saw that at the World Cup. Unfortunately, they didn't protect one club from Ukraine during the war. What is their duty? They are there to protect football, to protect the clubs, to protect the players. But they didn't do anything. So I can just invite President Infantino one more time to visit Ukraine, and maybe he will change his mind after that. Until then, I don't have respect for him or for the whole of FIFA."
Russian teams and competitions
Russian sides have been banned from UEFA and FIFA tournaments since the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
FIFA permitted Russia to enter a youth side at the inaugural Under-15 World Cup and Festival in Azerbaijan.
Srna said: "I think it's impossible under President Ceferin. I mean, how? How is it possible that a Russian team could come to play in England? Can you imagine that? Or in Germany, Poland, Spain or Italy? It's impossible, because they are living in their own world. They are not welcome in Europe. If you saw Chelsea play against Zenit at Stamford Bridge, it would be chaos. I don't believe Russian teams should be brought back into UEFA competitions until the war is over."
