Ukraine’s Shakhtar to play Champions League home games at former Russian-owned Chelsea

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian soccer club Shakhtar Donetsk said on Friday it has agreement to play home Champions League games at Chelsea, which for nearly 20 years was owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.

Shakhtar has at least four home games in the elite competition that starts in September but cannot play in Ukraine for security reasons during the full Russian military invasion that started in February 2022.

The war begun by Russia also forced Abramovich to sell Chelsea under pressure from British government sanctions. The club’s ownership group now includes United States businessman Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali of Clearlake Capital.

Shakhtar said it will play four home games in the main phase at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge “subject to regulatory approvals” from UEFA. The opponents will be decided at the competition draw next Thursday in Monaco.

“Our true home is Ukraine, and we all hope that very soon we will be able to play European football in front of our own fans again,” Shakhtar said. “But while the war makes this impossible, Stamford Bridge is an exceptional place for us to call home in Europe.”

It has been unable to play in Donetsk since 2014 when Russian-backed conflict started in the Donbas region.

Shakhtar played UEFA competition games around Ukraine from 2014-21 and since 2022 in Poland, Germany and Slovenia. The team has yet to play a home game in England.

Chelsea’s squad includes former Shakhtar winger Mykhaylo Mudryk. Chelsea did not qualify for any UEFA competition this season and will not have fixture clashes with the Ukrainian champion.

“Over the coming weeks we will work closely with Shakhtar to ensure the matches are held safely and comfortably for the team and its supporters,” Chelsea said.

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