Currently, Shakhtar's relationship with Tottenham is very tense. This is due to problems related to the transfer of Manor Solomon.
Solomon will be wearing a Tottenham jersey during the summer transfer window. As a free agent at the time, Tottenham brought in Solomon without any transfer fee. Shakhtar, however, is claiming Solomon's ownership and is asking for a fraction of what would happen if Tottenham sold him.
Shakhtar claims ownership of Solomon because Solomon was originally a Shakhtar player until December 2023. The war between Russia and Ukraine is behind Tottenham's ability to sign Shakhtar and Solomon, who was signed until 2023, on a free contract.
As Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, war broke out, which prevented Shakhtar from proceeding with the season. In response, FIFA allowed foreign players who were active in Ukraine and Russian leagues to suspend their contracts for one year through special rules. Hwang In-beom, who was playing for Rubin Kazan at the time, was able to return to the K-League due to special rules prepared by FIFA.
As the war between Russia and Ukraine dragged on, FIFA extended the special rule by one more year. The special rule was finalized in June 2024. Thus, Solomon's contract with Shakhtar, which was until December 2023, became meaningless and Tottenham were able to bring Solomon back without a transfer fee.
However, Shakhtar is demanding a clause that would allow Tottenham to receive compensation in the summer of 2023 because they lost money due to FIFA regulations. The two clubs have held talks since October last year, but negotiations seem to have collapsed.
"Tottenham did not act in a way that reflected the principles of fairness and equity. Under these circumstances, we feel disrespectful towards Tottenham. They offered something, but what they offered was not even serious. A club like Tottenham cannot act like this. It is the best club well known in the world, and it is very strange to act like them," Shakhtar CEO Sergey Falkin complained.
Falkin's will to take legal action against Tottenham if necessary remains in effect. According to the British Evening Standard's report on the 18th (Korea Standard Time), Falkin said, "We are not asking for money from Tottenham. We are asking for good sales commissions for the future. It is not polite to provide a sales commission of just 10%. We are appealing in moral terms, but we may have to go to court," he warned Tottenham.
A Tottenham official refused to respond, saying, "We donated to the Shakhtar Foundation after last summer's friendly, and we continue to discuss the situation with them, but we will not disclose it to the media."
BY: 토토사이트링크