"We decided: let's move to England," Sergei Palkin told dailymail.com, and Shakhtar Donetsk are following through by using Chelsea's Stamford Bridge as their Champions League base. Palkin says the choice is about safety, logistics and giving Ukrainian players a proper stage in London.
Palkin's reasons for the switch
Palkin also said there are "a lot of Ukrainian refugees and a lot of Ukrainians living here," which gives the move a local edge as well as a practical one. He described London as "the football capital of the world" and said Stamford Bridge offers "extra motivation" for younger players, with the club seeing the setting as part of how it presents itself abroad.
Shakhtar moved into the Donbass Arena in 2009, but it has not hosted a football match since 2014. The contrast with west London is stark enough without overplaying it. The club are about 2,000km from Kyiv, carrying their European campaign from one city into another.
The Champions League backdrop
Shakhtar opened the league phase with a 1-1 draw away to PSV Eindhoven and sit 23rd with one point after one game. Their recent European home matches have taken place in Germany, Poland and Slovenia, which makes Stamford Bridge the latest stop in a long spell away from Donetsk.
Their first home game at Stamford Bridge is against AEK Athens on Wednesday, and the fixtures that follow include Sporting, Fenerbahce and Real Madrid. Palkin's pitch to Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali started the arrangement, but the more telling part is what Shakhtar want the arrangement to say: they are still playing for Ukraine while their real home remains out of reach.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
