Srna Has No Respect for Infantino After Russia Allowed Into Under-15 Event

• Shakhtar Donetsk sporting director Darijo Srna says he has no respect for FIFA president Gianni Infantino or FIFA, per talkSPORT.
• Russia was allowed to send a team to FIFA’s inaugural Under-15 World Cup & Festival in Azerbaijan last month, a decision that disappointed Srna and Shakhtar.
• Shakhtar face Sporting in the Champions League at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.

Why Srna Wants Infantino to See Ukraine for Himself

Darijo Srna has an invitation for Gianni Infantino, and a verdict to go with it. Shakhtar Donetsk’s sporting director wants the FIFA president to visit Ukraine, and says that until he does, he has no respect for him or for the governing body he leads. “FIFA is business,” said Srna, who won 134 caps for Croatia. He is in London ahead of Shakhtar’s Champions League tie with Sporting on Tuesday at Stamford Bridge, where the 16-time Ukrainian champions are playing their “home” games this season with the war keeping them out of Ukraine.

The trigger is a decision that sits oddly with the ban. Russian teams have been barred from FIFA and UEFA competitions from the full-scale invasion in February 2022 onwards. Last month, Russia was allowed to send a team to FIFA’s inaugural Under-15 World Cup & Festival in Azerbaijan. That disappointed Srna and Shakhtar, and it came eight months after Infantino said the ban had “not achieved anything”. Infantino has taken this line before, having backed lifting the Russia ban earlier this year.

Srna drew a sharp line between the two men who run European and world football. “If you compare President Ceferin with Infantino, they are two different people. The one who likes football is Mr Ceferin.” He says Ceferin protects all clubs and does not want to sell football to rich people. “Football is for everyone, not just for rich people.” FIFA, in his view, is doing business, and he points to the World Cup as the proof.

His main charge is about Ukrainian clubs. Srna says FIFA did nothing to protect a single one of them through the war. “They are there to protect football, to protect the clubs, to protect the players,” he said of FIFA’s duty. Then came the invitation: “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.”

Srna Rules Out a Russian Return to the Champions League

Srna does not expect to see Russian clubs back in the Champions League any time soon. The last Russian side to play in the competition was Zenit St Petersburg, who went out in the 2021/22 group stage in a campaign that included a 1-0 defeat by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Shakhtar’s last competitive meeting with a Russian side was against Zenit in the 2011/12 group stage.

“I think it’s impossible under President Ceferin,” Srna said. He asked how a Russian team could come to play in England, Germany, Poland, Spain or Italy. “They are not welcome in Europe.” On Zenit at Chelsea’s ground, he said: “If you saw Chelsea play against Zenit at Stamford Bridge, it would be chaos.” His position is that Russian teams should not be brought back into UEFA competitions until the war is over.

Srna is not the only critic. Infantino also faces four European leagues’ accusations of betraying FIFA ahead of the 2027 vote.

Shakhtar Play Home Games in London

With Ukrainian airspace closed, every “home” Champions League game means a long trip across the border by road or rail before Shakhtar can board a flight to London. Last season, when they reached the Conference League semi-finals, their European home games were staged in Kraków and Ljubljana. This time Chelsea, who have no European football, have opened Stamford Bridge to them. The clubs share a strong relationship, and Chelsea signed winger Mykhailo Mudryk from Shakhtar in a deal worth up to €100million in January 2023. “They really host us like friends,” Srna said.

Arda Turan’s side have made a positive start to the league phase. They drew 1-1 at PSV, beat AEK Athens 3-1 in front of 29,144 at Stamford Bridge and lost 1-0 at Inter. They sit 17th, inside the top 24 places that either go straight into the last 16 or face a play-off to get there.

Sporting are in transition. Rui Borges left on Sunday, and former Shakhtar boss Paulo Fonseca is set to leave Lyon to replace him. Fonseca won seven trophies in three seasons at Shakhtar between 2016 and 2019. Srna calls him “a friend of mine” and is happy he is going to Sporting. It is unclear whether Fonseca will be in the dugout on Tuesday, as Portuguese media have suggested B-team coach Tiago Fernandes will stay in interim charge.

There was good news for Shakhtar too. Midfielder Marlon Gomes and winger Alisson Santana earned first Brazil call-ups in Carlo Ancelotti’s squad for this month’s friendlies against Japan and Singapore. Fred and Taison in 2018 were the last Shakhtar players picked by Brazil before them. “We are living every day under sirens, under bombs, and are attacked by Shahed drones, so to make the Brazil national team in these conditions is amazing,” Srna said. Shakhtar have been exiled from Donetsk for 12 years, and the Tuesday tie in London is their next chance to strengthen their place in the top 24.

WRITTEN BY

George Howson

George Howson is a Futbol Chronicle contributor and accredited journalist with over 20 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, George has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing deep knowledge and first-hand insight to every match report and analysis he writes.

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