GENEVA (AP) 鈥� If any European soccer club deserved some luck to get a lucrative place in the Champions League, it was surely .
Recent results in the Champions League, but also in the Greek and leagues at the weekend, favored Shakhtar in the often complex qualifying path for soccer鈥檚 most coveted club competition.
Now the new champion of Ukraine will skip the jeopardy of three Champions League qualifying rounds in July and August to go directly to the elite 36-team main phase starting in September.
That should earn at least 35 million euros ($41 million) in UEFA prize money for a club deprived of revenue during a now in a fifth year. Shakhtar also has since 2014 been by the first wave of Russian-backed conflict.
鈥淚 think we deserve to be there in the Champions League,鈥� Shakhtar CEO Sergei Palkin told The Associated Press on Tuesday in a telephone interview. 鈥淲e are sending a message that our club continues to represent Ukrainian football with dignity.鈥�
Shakhtar鈥檚 success is both 鈥渁 statement from our clubs鈥� and 鈥渕oments of pride鈥� for Ukrainian people, Palkin said.
So it’s a big thank you from Ukraine to Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, and also to AEK Athens, Heart of Midlothian and Celtic.
How Shakhtar got to the Champions League
The short version: Shakhtar had to win the Ukraine Premier League; neither Olympiakos nor Rangers could win their domestic titles; the Champions League winner had to be already qualified for next season鈥檚 edition.
Three pieces fell into place Sunday.
In Greece, Olympiakos drew its game while leader AEK Athens won to clinch the title.
In Scotland, Rangers鈥� title hopes ended by losing at Celtic, which is now in a duel with Hearts.
Shakhtar鈥檚 4-0 win at Poltava sealed its 16th league title. But that no longer gets the direct Champions League entry typically earned before the war when Ukrainian soccer was stronger and richer.
For next season, Ukraine is for its club teams’ performances. That earns fewer European competition entries and at a lower level.
There was a back-door entry. When the Champions League is won by a team already qualified for next season 鈥� like on May 30 鈥� the entry kept for the title holder is reallocated to the national champion in qualifying rounds with the
That was Shakhtar 鈥� No. 45 with 56.25 ranking points, boosted by reaching the Conference League semifinals 鈥� while No. 36 Olympiakos and No. 38 Rangers failed to win their national leagues.
It’s been a nervous wait for the club.
鈥淚t鈥檚 almost one month we were on the pulse trying to understand what we tracked in the Greek league and the Scottish league,鈥� Palkin said.
Brazil back in force
Shakhtar’s past success, winning the UEFA Cup in 2009 and reaching the Champions League quarterfinals in 2011, has been with a core of Brazilian talent: Willian, Luiz Adriano, Fernandinho and Fred.
Some of the next generation left in 2022 when on player contracts. Now Shakhtar has 12 Brazilians in its squad, with only Marlon and Pedrinho aged over 23.
鈥淲e are not selling them comfort, they understand that,鈥� Palkin said of a team that plays domestic home games in Lviv and UEFA competition games in Krakow in neutral and neighboring Poland.
It is, Palkin insists, like being with a Brazilian family in Ukraine: 鈥淭hey will be in their environment, with their language and culture.鈥�
Coach Arda Turan
Arda Turan, the 39-year-old former Galatasaray, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona midfielder, came one year ago to revive a Shakhtar team that finished a surprising third in the league.
鈥淗e is a coach with our DNA. We understood what kind of football he played,鈥� said Palkin, praising Turan as a good motivator of a young squad.
Air raid alerts at games
Ukrainian games were played in empty stadiums when the . Today spectators are still limited for security reasons by the ability to protect them in shelters from Russian missile attacks.
鈥淔or us it is normal life,” Palkin said.
Shkahtar drew crowds of about 2,500 in Lviv to start the season and about 4,200 saw Shakhtar beat defending champion Dynamo Kyiv 3-1 in November.
Champions League home for nomad club
The club has not yet decided where to play four Champions League 鈥渉ome鈥� games between September and January. .
鈥淥ur strategy is to increase the geography of our games,鈥� Palkin said. “Ten million people left Ukraine and our fans are everywhere.”
Shakhtar still hopes to return to Donbas Arena, a state-of-the-art stadium when at the 2012 European Championship, but seemingly neglected for 12 years during Russian occupation.
鈥淎ll the information we receive is from newspapers,” Palkin acknowledged, expressing a desire to return one day.
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