The Shakhtar Donetsk president, Rinat Akhmetov, has donated £20.5m of Mykhaylo Mudryk’s Chelsea transfer fee to the Ukrainian war effort.
Chelsea beat Arsenal to the signing of Mudryk on Sunday and paraded him at Stamford Bridge, where they beat Crystal Palace 1-0 in the Premier League. Mudryk, who has agreed an eight-and-a-half-year contract, had a Ukraine flag draped over his shoulders. Chelsea have paid an initial €70m (£62m) for the winger with €30m (£26.5m) to follow in add-ons.
The money is a boost to Shakhtar, who have been displaced from their home in Donetsk, but Akhmetov – Ukraine’s richest businessman, according to Forbes – has made clear that without his country’s soldiers there would be no football. As such, he has made the financial gesture, launching the Heart of Azovstal project.
Azovstal is Akhmetov’s steel plant in Mariupol, where Ukrainian fighters defied weeks of Russian bombardment before the city fell. Azovstal has become a symbol of bravery, endurance and the indomitable spirit of the Ukrainian people.
“I want to thank the entire civilised world for helping Ukraine,” Akhmetov said. “We can only talk about Ukrainian football because of the Ukrainian army, the Ukrainian people and the tremendous support we have had during this incredibly difficult time. And the only way we can defeat the evil that has come to our homes is by working together.
“I am donating $25m (£20.5m) of Mykhaylo’s transfer fee to help our soldiers, defenders and their families. The money will be used to cover different needs, from providing medical and prosthetic treatment and psychological support, to meeting specific requests. It will be managed by an independent professional team that will work with the Azovstal defenders, their families, care providers and volunteers.
“This is the beginning of the Heart of Azovstal, a brand new project that will help the Mariupol defenders and the families of fallen soldiers. Their acts of bravery are unparalleled. And it is their sacrifice and courage that helped contain the enemy in the first months of the war, providing the platform for the inevitable Ukrainian victory.”
Akhmetov had mixed feelings over the sale of Mudryk. On one hand, he is happy for him, proud of how he will represent Ukraine in the Premier League. On the other, he did not want to lose him because he has to have players such as Mudryk to fulfil his ambition of guiding Shakhtar to European trophies.
“We need players like Mykhaylo in Ukrainian clubs, competing at the European level,” Akhmetov said. “Unfortunately, that is impossible at the moment because of this unjust war being waged against us by the Russian Federation.
“I remain utterly confident we will defeat the aggressor. One of the things I look forward to most after our victory is Mykhaylo returning with his Chelsea team for a friendly match in Donbass Arena in a Ukrainian Donetsk. We must do everything we can to bring this day closer. We are forever indebted to our soldiers.”
