Chelsea to host Shakhtar’s CL Games

KYIV, Ukraine (AP):

Ukrainian football club Shakhtar Donetsk said on Friday they have reached an agreement to play their home Champions League games at Chelsea, who for nearly 20 years were owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.

Shakhtar have at least four home games in the elite competition, which starts in September, but cannot play in Ukraine because of security concerns amid the full-scale Russian military invasion that began in February 2022.

The war, launched by Russia, also forced Abramovich to sell Chelsea under pressure from British government sanctions. The club’s ownership group now includes United States businessman Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali of Clearlake Capital.

Shakhtar said they will play four home games in the competition’s league phase at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge, “subject to regulatory approvals” from UEFA. Their opponents will be determined at the competition draw next Thursday in Monaco.

“Our true home is Ukraine, and we all hope that very soon we will be able to play European football in front of our own fans again,” Shakhtar said.

“But while the war makes this impossible, Stamford Bridge is an exceptional place for us to call home in Europe.”

The club have been unable to play in Donetsk since 2014, when the Russian-backed conflict began in the Donbas region.

Shakhtar played UEFA competition games at various venues in Ukraine from 2014 to 2021 and, since 2022, in Poland, Germany and Slovenia. The team have yet to play a home game in England.

Chelsea’s squad includes former Shakhtar winger Mykhaylo Mudryk. Chelsea did not qualify for UEFA competition this season and will not have any fixture clashes with the Ukrainian champions.

“Over the coming weeks we will work closely with Shakhtar to ensure the matches are held safely and comfortably for the team and its supporters,” Chelsea said.