Ukraine's football clubs' financial situation is growing worse against the backdrop of the struggling economy and the national currency, hryvnia, continuing to fall against the dollar. "The situation is difficult, and some clubs are facing serious financial problems," a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Premier League told SBD Global. "The clubs are finding various ways to cope with the situation. Some are reducing the players' salaries, and there is mutual understanding about it." The spokesperson went on to say, "We are not authorized to check on the clubs' finances except for before the start of a season when they apply for licenses. But we hope that problems will be settled and we'll avoid situations when clubs go bankrupt, as it has been the case with Arsenal Kiev and Krivbass over the last few years."
START OF TROUBLE: Trouble for Ukrainian football clubs began after this February's Maidan revolution, which toppled President Viktor Yanukovych. Some club owners close to the ousted president subsequently found themselves in a less comfortable position or fled the country. The situation only aggravated when armed clashes began between Ukraine's pro-government forces and pro-Russian separatists in East Ukraine's Donbass region this summer, forcing two local premier league squads, Shakhtar and Metallurg, to move their home games. The overall poor economic conditions in the country and the hryvnia's losing value against most currencies only made things worse. In this situation, clubs refuse to discuss their finances, especially those, which, according to press reports, are in the worst situation, like Chernomorets Odessa or Karpaty Lviv.
BUCKING THE TREND: One exception is FC Metalist Kharkiv, whose situation has been uncertain since its president and owner Sergei Kurchenko left the country alongside Yanukovych this February. Still, the club insists that its financial situation is almost normal. Metalist Kharkiv General Dir Alexander Notchenko said, "Media reports about huge salary arrears at Metalist are false. As of Dec. 1, all September wages are paid, and, as under corporate contracts, salaries are paid on the 20th of the following month, we can only talk of very small arrears." FC Karpaty declined to comment on its finances, but the squad was already stripped of nine points this season over its failure to settle outstanding debts with a former player.
FALLING ATTENDANCE: Meanwhile, as the economy struggles and the future seems uncertain for many people, football game attendance is declining, diminishing the squads' revenues from ticket sales. Only 45 fans showed up at the premier league game between Volyn and Ilyichevets on Nov. 30, the lowest number this season.
Vladimir Kozlov is a writer in Moscow.
