Shakhtar Donetsk announced this Monday that it is terminating the contract of Oleksandr Rosputko, the club's youth player who defected during a trip to Belgium to travel from there to the Russian Federation.
"Due to his failure to return to the team and his refusal to fulfill the obligations of his contract, Shakhtar FC has terminated the contract with footballer Oleksandr Rsputko," the club said in a statement.
After a match in Belgium against Antwerp, Royal Antwerp, corresponding to the second day of the Youth League, the 19-year-old Ukrainian center back did not return to his country with his teammates after the match. According to Ukrainian media, Rosputko traveled via Istanbul to the Russian Federation, a country that is at war with Ukraine.
Rosputko is originally from the town of Gorlivka, located in the eastern Donetsk region and occupied by Russia. Shakhtar was based in the eponymous capital of that region, but left the city after pro-Russian separatists declared a rebel republic in the area in 2014.
In statements to Ukrainian media, Rosputko's father has confirmed that his son is in Russia, although he denied that he has requested political asylum, as has been rumored in Ukraine.
“At the moment I cannot say the reason why Sashko (short for Oleksandr) fled from Shakhtar,” said the footballer's father, Yuri Rosputko, adding without explaining the reasons that his son “will be safer in Russia.”
The player's father said that his son will apply for Russian nationality. “I was very tired of everything. He is now relaxing and resting, and we will see later,” said Yuri Rosputko.
Both Shakhtar's first and youth teams play against FC Barcelona this Wednesday in the Champions League and Youth League matches.
