Youth footballer from Ukrainian club Shakhtar flees to Russia

Ukrainian football club FC Shakhtar reports that it has terminated its contract with youth player Oleksandr Rosputko.

“Due to his failure to return to the team’s location and refusal to fulfill his contractual obligations, FC Shakhtar has terminated its contract with footballer Oleksandr Rosputko,” the club said in a statement.

19-year-old Rosputko went missing after Shakhtar faced Antwerp in the UEFA Youth League in Belgium on October 4, a game in which Rosputko played all 90 minutes. Suspilne reports that Rosputko escaped at the airport after the game. Shakhtar says that Rosputko received his boarding pass, checked his luggage, but did not board the plane.

According to Russia’s Regnum news agency, Rosputko traveled to Russia via Turkey with his parents. The footballer’s father, Yuriy Rosputko, said that his son would apply for Russian citizenship, “as he would have done in his homeland Donetsk.” According to the father, “he’ll definitely be safer in Russia.”

Shakhtar’s contract with Oleksandr Rosputko was set to run until June 30, 2024. Shakhtar admitted that it could demand compensation from the player for a breach of contract.