Shakhtar footballer Alexander Rasputko did not want to return to Ukraine after the away match of the youth team in the UEFA Youth League against the Belgian Antwerp. He checked in at the airport, turned off his phone and disappeared. What's happening?
According to Sport.ua, there may be several reasons. The first is the pro-Russian views of a native of Gorlovka (DPR). Allegedly, Rasputko did not support generally accepted views in Ukraine, which provoked conflicts with his teammates. He also notes that the parents of the 19-year-old football player live in Donetsk and adhere to a pro-Russian position.
According to the second version, the player was unable to agree on a new contract with the club, and the current conditions of playing for Shakhtar did not suit him. In addition, it is noted that the football player went through Istanbul to the Russian Federation. I immediately remembered the demarche of foreign football players from Shakhtar and Kharkov Metalist that took place in 2014, which was popularly dubbed “an escape from Poroshenko.” But these were foreigners who did not want to return, and in this case, a citizen of Ukraine.
It’s interesting that Shakhtar itself claims that there were no prerequisites for an escape. “And if there were, the player would have stayed in Ukraine and would not have gone to the Youth Champions League match. Now he is not in touch,” the club quotes UA-Football.
According to media reports, Rasputko went to St. Petersburg, where he plans to sign a contract with the Zvezda football club. And Gennady Zubov, who until recently was part of the team’s coaching staff (by the way, as part of Shakhtar) had a hand in what happened. But at the moment, all this is at the level of rumors.
Indeed, the escape looks carefully planned. It is unlikely that a young football player would have decided to take such a drastic step without having a clear idea of where he was going and why. However, another logical question arises — how is a player going to sign a contract with another team, having an agreement with Shakhtar valid until the summer? It is unlikely that he will pay the club the compensation due in case of termination of the contract. Such a step will lead to a violation of all possible international regulations and may entail far-reaching consequences.
“Firemen are looking, police are looking, photographers are looking in our capital,” this is exactly how I would like to characterize what is happening with Rasputko. Insiders, rumors, assumptions — this is all we have to content ourselves with in the current situation. After all, even Donetsk Shakhtar, apparently, has absolutely no information.
“We confirm the fact that Alexander Rosputko did not return to Ukraine after the match with Antwerp. The player received a boarding ticket, checked in his suitcase and did not show up for boarding at plane. We cannot say in which direction the player disappeared. We have no information. The club hopes that the player will return in the near future. We have written to him with an official letter demanding that he return to the team’s location within five days. If he does not return «The contract will be terminated due to the fault of the player. The club reserves the right to demand financial compensation from the player,» the club statement says.