Yurii Korotun: "The most shocking thing is that on the fifth year of full-scale invasion, we are still facing such, seemingly incredible scenarios"

The Vice President of the football club "Kharkiv" Yuriy Korotun commented on the situation with Oleksiy Sydorov's contract and talked about the club's next steps in this situation:

— Last week our club made a statement that shook the Ukrainian football community regarding the possible unauthorized transfer of the football player Oleksiy Sydorov from the football club "Kharkiv" to a Russian club. Please tell us more about this situation.

— The situation is as follows. Last week we received a notification from the UAF that a request for the issuance of an international transfer certificate for the football player Sydorov appeared in the TMS (Transfer Matching System) system, due to his transfer to an amateur club from an aggressor country. To say that we were shocked is an understatement. After Oleksiy illegally left the country and our club a year ago, he moved on - and now he wants to play football in the "swamps."

— Have any actions been taken by the club or the Ukrainian Football Association?

— Yes. We immediately contacted the UAF and discussed our further actions in this matter. The club and the association, of course, oppose the idea that a player who has valid contractual obligations to a Ukrainian club could simply ignore these obligations and get the opportunity to play for another team, especially in Russia. Relevant letters have already been sent to FIFA, but we understand that this is just the beginning. Although this is an isolated case, for us it is not just a matter of a specific player. It is about adhering to contractual discipline, protecting the club's rights, and the principles of football law. I would like to express my special thanks to the Ukrainian Football Association for their principled position and support of our club.

— Do you see a risk that this situation could be used by Sydorov as a way to unilaterally terminate the contract and bypass transfer rules?

— Yes, and this is a serious concern for us. We do not rule out that Sydorov's attempt to first play for an amateur club may be a way to circumvent transfer rules regarding a "bridge transfer" - where the real beneficiary along with Sydorov uses the amateur team as an intermediary club, and the real interested club emerges later.

Let me remind you: Oleksiy Sydorov has a valid contract with our club until 2028. That is why we consider it crucial that this situation be properly reviewed by FIFA. We cannot allow a breach of an existing contract at one stage to later allow the player to legalize his status through another club and effectively bypass established rules.

— What will be the club's next steps?

— What is most shocking in this situation is that after five years of full-scale invasion, we are still facing such seemingly incredible scenarios. The only thing that comes to mind is that now Ivanov (former coach of "Metalist 1925", who has been working in Russia since the beginning of the full-scale war), Petrov (former striker of "Metalist 1925", who was eliminated by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in February 2026 in the Pokrovsk direction) and Sydorov have united on the other side following the "swamp" scenario.

We will consistently defend the interests of the football club "Kharkiv" in all relevant football bodies. We have already informed FIFA about this situation, and we will now carefully monitor the situation. It is important for us that such precedents do not create a dangerous practice for us and other Ukrainian clubs.