Football Daily - Euro Leagues: Shakhtar Donetsk CEO & 100 days until the World Cup

Episode Date: March 5, 2026

In this special episode of the Euro Leagues, Steve Crossman, Guillem Balague, Archie Rhind-Tutt and Julien Laurens are joined by Sergei Palkin, CEO of Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk.Sergei talks about the challenges facing the club since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 - finding somewhere to play their games, convincing foreign players to sign for them and dreaming of returning to the Donbas Arena.With less than 100 days to go until the World Cup, the panel also discuss how Germany, Spain and France are shaping up.TIMECODES 00:52 - Less than 100 days until the World Cup 04:33 - Germany and Nagelsmann 11:17 - Spain's injury worries 15:05 - France and Deschamps spoilt for choice 26:38 - Shakhtar Donetsk CEO Sergei Palkin 27:23 - Running a football club in wartime 29:18 - The role of sport in Ukrainian's lives 31:04 - Using stadiums as shelters 33:12 - Convincing foreign players to sign 37:17 - Trying to maintain the academy 40:20 - Dreams of returning to the Donbas Arena

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And all the bizarre ways people are using. the internet. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. The Football Daily Podcast, the Euroleaks with Steve Crossman. Hello there, welcome to the Euroleaks on the Football Daily podcast. Coming up, we'll be bringing you a really special interview with the CEO of Shakar Dynetsk, Sergei Palkin. The war in Ukraine has just entered its fifth year, as you all know.

It's now 12 years since Shaktar last played a home game because of Russian attacks in the Donbass, which long predate the wider invasion. That is going to be by a great distance, the most important conversation we have today. It's going to be a show of two halves. So before Sergi joins us, we'll talk about some of the lighter side of football. Hello, Guillain Balagir. Hello. Hello. Hello.

Hello. And if it isn't ESPN, Julien, Laurent. Hey, Jewel. Hello, guys. How we all doing, all right? Great. Excellent. I am thoroughly excited for our opening discussion.

I'm going to need you to all close your eyes, okay, because I'm going to paint some pictures for you right now. We're going to start. Don't laugh, Archie, this is a serious business. We're going to start with what you will be doing exactly 100 days from now, dear listener. You awake groggy. You told yourself you didn't need to stay up for the 2am game between South Korea and the as yet unknown. You a for Path D playoff winner. But you did. Of course you did, because the World Cup has begun.

and 5 Live is covering every single game of the tournament. Yes, the commute is tough, but you've got the Football Daily podcast to keep you company. It's been recorded inside the Azteca right after the opening game. You can't beat that, so you download or you subscribe or whatever to listen to reaction from last night's opener at the Azteca on BBC sounds. Am I speaking your language, Guillem? Yes, yes, you're getting me all excited.

I'm not sure I can continue with that excitement for 100 days. But certainly it is a reminder that after the nitty-gritty of domestic leagues and Champions League, who cares about that? There's a World Cup to come. And when that happens, extraordinary things happen. Going to be honest with you, Jules. It's 99 days to go till the start of the World Cup. But I thought if I did it as the first morning after, then it's 100 and then it makes it more newsworthy, right?

Yeah, nobody will blame you for it. Anyway, I think people are getting excited. We are all covering the tournament. So you're planning, you're getting your hotels, books and your flights and everything. And I'm sure the fans all around the world would be doing the same to follow their countries or in the hopes of getting tickets maybe for their teams. If it's not their team, I'm sure some will still travel to the US or Mexico or Canada and go and go and watch something else.

That's going to be great. And to be fair, the excitement is going to build and build between now and in 1990. days time. Jules, literally nobody believes you're booking your own hotels

just to be just to be clear. I got an amazing deal. I show you in New York when we've been

playing football together every day. Yeah, actually me and Jules have got a plan for the first couple of weeks of the

World Cup, which is to join as many, they call them pick up soccer matches. Okay. You just use an app and you can just

join a game. So we're going to play a lot of football. I'll be honest, there'll be a lot of work to do, Jules. I don't know if you're conscious of this.

Yeah, I know, I know. So, but we'll maybe find a little bit of time. What's your work? As she can play. I'm not sure if he's good enough to join us, but you can try for sure. I was about to say, I was about to say, Jules is a good footballer. I know. I've seen it. I've seen it before. I wasn't coming in with Bob's, but you know, if you want to set that tone, if you want to come in with a two-foot-tackle now, let me tell you, George,

I'm just saying there's a long way to go in this show. And when you're looking the other way, suddenly there's an elbow in your side. And you're thinking, oh, what's happening now? I don't claim to be better than Jules, but I claim to be street wiser, shall we say. Guillaume, the goalkeeper as you are, where will you be for the opening stages of the World Cup? I'm going to spend like 20 days or so in Tennessee.

So you're going to have to send me videos of your football playing and everything because I'm going to be following Spain. They're going to spend the group stages perhaps even longer. And then I'll jump from there to the Spain game and the next day, which is very well organized. the Argentina games and then back to Tennessee. So if you've got any tapes about Tennessee, please let me know. I won't lie to you.

I'm not that well-traveled. Not been to Memphis, but I'm sure it's lovely. So if you hadn't guessed, 100 slash 99 days to go. So what we thought we would do is we would just have a nice big fun chat about how, normally I would say your nations, but actually I'm going to sort of you're in inverted commas. because I see you as being very much English slash German, not because of your surname, which can be confusing,

but because you lived out there for a long time, didn't you? Exactly. And I have to navigate when Germany's played England in major tournaments in both men's and women's tournaments. It's been a difficult one because on the one hand, you know, I'd like to keep working. and on the other hand the level of abuse

that I will receive if Germany should be England has meant every time I go it's for the best that England win here Got to get out the group first don't you? Well isn't it? Isn't that the case? And to be honest

for as much as we're going World Cup fever, let's go there's a lot of pessimism and doom and gloom I find from fans here towards the World Cup. There is just not, I mean, look, patriotism in Germany is a complicated concept anyway, but there is not still, you might have expected the euros to have sparked a bit more, hey, this Germany team's exciting, let's get behind it. But instead, the only real sense of national unity that I find in Germany is generally directed towards Mars. because of that handball.

Like he's still, when, when Bayern played Chelsea early this season, my overriding takeaway from that game was how he just got booed through the game. And, and since, like, this, this Germany team is weird. It's not, it's not got the legends of, of years gone by. And as you, as you correctly say, Steve, they, they might want to get out of the group first before dreaming a little bit bigger. But I think, yeah, from the team that used to always be known as a tournier manshaft, a tournament team, there's much less kind of expectations.

And now it's much more of the shoulder shrug that I would say is met. So starting with low expectations can be a good thing. But Uly and Nogsman's doing everything to try and correct that course, except I'm not sure if that's the best thing to do. lots of different things going on. I should probably mention the group by the... I mean, we've started with Germany, so let's start with Germany.

Curacao, Ivory Coast and Ecuador. The significance game is obviously Germany haven't got out of the group at the last two World Cups. They've got to get out of that one. Yes, the expectancy is that that happens. There is enough big names, I would say, for the team

to actually make it into the next round. But I just wonder how far the Nagelsman, if you like, revolution has gone considering how the experiments that he was trying earlier on and where are we standing at that uh with that now archie so this week he gave a two hour long interview to kicker magazine which is one of the biggest publications and and newsmakers in football here and and in that he was very detailed about the the way he sees his squad and the sort of characters that he's looking for, how he's wanting players who are happy with

playing the 15th, 16th role in that squad and even if they are perhaps number one for their club. For me, the most striking thing is that his backing of Leon Goretska in central midfield and saying that he has 11 kind of sixes, as they call it, in Germany, defensive midfielders, and yet that they're still lacking in certain profiles. And the way that he shrugged off Anton Stach's performances for Leeds, I found quite interesting because I don't think I've seen the same player for Leeds that Julian Nagorsman has. And neither has Daniel Farker for that measure. And the thing I'm coming to here, Guillaume, is Germany, much like Real Madrid, lack

Tony Crows. They lack that level of vision and tempo controller in the game. And he might say Josua Kimmish, does he have that? He's going to be playing it right back as it stands. They don't have Manuel Noir in goal. There's no final decision on that yet. Still, Oliver Bauman is going to be the number one. Oliver Bauman, very consistent goalkeeper for Hoffenheim over the years. but I just wonder about the chemistry of this team, whether that all works as it is. Jamar Musial is still got to come back into the fold. I think Florian Wits will have benefited from having a year in the Premier League.

But I just, if you look at the most successful Germany team of the last 20 years, there's, I don't see the same level of understanding. And I sometimes think that Julian Nagasman gets in the way of himself when I look at how, now that we've had Vincent Company at Byron and seeing how he's very much Vincent Company's very much look it's the players who are the most successful ones here

and I wonder how well it goes down with players who have achieved a lot in the game when you have Julian Nagzman who I think is much more going well guys I'm here and I'm the I'm front and centre so I think there's more question marks than answers with this Germany team right now Jules I think it's going to be interesting

The thing I fear about Germany is that if they come out of the group, then I think they can go from strength to trend. And if it clicks at the right time, for example, whoever plays the center forward, Sky Harvard or somebody else, if that starts working, if Vils and Musiala start clicking as well together, then I think it's the kind of team you don't want to be facing because they've got still that mentality, even if he hasn't happened at World Cups for a long time. I see the thing of the teams that can go from strength to strength and get that confidence in themselves that they can be anybody on their day, I think it would be Germany.

And that's the thing I would say. But to get there, they need to be better than what we've seen recently, to be fair. All right, Guy, Spain, 100 days to go. Are we excited? Are we worried? Are we somewhere in between? Both things, really, of the three things, excited because all of a sudden pedri coming back from injury

looks the best midfielder in the world and... It's a big statement, but I like it. I'm here for it. Honestly, the things he does when he gets his physique at the right level, he'll shine even more. And I was just thinking in the Euros,

he got injured in the quarterfinals and we didn't see him later on and Spain still won't. So that is a plus that we didn't have in the Euros, for instance. Lamina Mal, after his growing injury problems, back to his best again with a hat trick at the weekend and just wanting the ball, I'll sort it out, no problems, this is what he's saying all the time. But then the worry is that some of the players that were key in the Euros, Nicco Williams, for instance, has stopped playing football. We don't know when he's going to come back.

Again, growing injuries that doesn't seem to be able to shake off. Gabby, who would be in the squad, but perhaps not as important. as we predicted early in his career, still not there, no playing. Fabian Ortiz injured. Mikkel Marino will get short of fitness for the tournament. Samu, an alternative to Morata out front won't be there. But then you look at the alternatives,

and they're not too bad. Alex Baena from Aletico Madrid, Molaido from Villarreal, Fermin Lopez from Barcelona. These are names that you didn't expect them to be in the squad. They will be. And if you need a winger, proper winger, if Niccoe Williams doesn't make it,

you've got Brian Zaragoza or Jesus Rodriguez or Virgilio of Mayoka. Let's see how Roderie is, but if he isn't fit, we got Tommy Mendi. We start sounding like France, which is like we got one player at a stop, but if it's not there,

it doesn't matter, we've got another player that's top. And perhaps the only worry is the defense with Lenormann and Laporte, who were the two regular centrebacks, who haven't found a good form this season, Carvajal, who is still not there either, So we may have to risk with risk or, you know, experiment, if you like, with Mark Pauville or Eric Garcia, which I haven't played together.

But there still top, top names, Pedro Porro, if Carvajal is not there. So there is the expectation that you hear Lamine, Yamal, when I interviewed last time, is like, the World Cup, yeah, yeah, we are going to win it. So then that gives you a bit of confidence. Just like that. I imagine there's a lot of Spanish eyes on Rodry at Manchester City at the minute because we obviously talk about him pretty much every week from a city perspective and how is he looking and the kind of quest for him to get back to himself? What is the discussion this far out from a World Cup about Roderie?

He's that big that I presume it's a big part of the discussion. The discussion tends to be, would he be okay to be in the World Cup? But even if he's not in the line up, it doesn't seem to be a huge worry. take you back to the final of the euros. But I could. That's exactly what I wanted to say. As someone who is in the stands that day. Same.

And being next to two England fans. Same. And hearing it go over the tannoy, substitution for Spain coming off is Rodry. And I was all looking at each other and being like, and then forgetting that another player is coming on. And the player coming on is Martin Zubermendi. Oh, he's turned out to be quite good, hasn't he? Yeah.

Oh, and a minute later, Spain scored. I missed the goal. I was trying to get drinks for. the team. I was the hero, as you can tell. Solid team player, Steve. Yeah, I missed the goal. And there was such a big role.

I assumed England had scored. Hey-ho. Next time. Next time. Oh, here he is. The final specialist. Yeah, it's okay. Keep France for later.

Keep France for later. The last dance of Dié Deshaun. Yeah. We're preparing for the farewell of the greatest national team head coach we've ever had, really, after 14 years. As you say, we're a bit, you know,

World Cup final. specialist if you want to call us like that. I take it four in the last seven. I'll take that. You want, we won two. We lost two. Okay, maybe not so good that.

Although 50% is not bad as I guess as a ratio. But it's the end. And the endings, I'm never, I'm not sure. To me, and I try to look back as well, they never really end that well. Because the idea and what would be beautiful

is obviously for France and Deschon to win it. And then that's it. He leaves on that. It's the second World Cup. It's a third final in a row. anything you want. It will establish him even in his legacy as even bigger than what it is.

And it's already massive, considering you want the World Cup as a player as a manager. And suddenly three of them have done in the history of the game. So that would be very special. But there's also a lot of cases where the ending was not that great. And with the talent that he has,

I would love it for him to be a great ending. Okay, it doesn't mean maybe going all the way and winning it, but at least having a good World Cup. Because the euros was good in terms of result to go to the last four and losing to spend and the eventual winners

but the football was rubbish let's be honest here it was really non-enjoyable and I think he got a lot of stick and for the first time maybe his excuse was always you can't really talk to me about football because or by the style

and the playing because we win and we go far whether we win it all or at least we have a chance of winning all this time, even that was not enough. Even the semifanel was not enough. And a lot of people back home was like, this football is not good enough with the players that you have.

And again, it's a bit of the same. This time, if you look at the talent just in attacking positions, it's ridiculous, really. So it has to play better football. And hopefully that will lead to a good World Cup. Jules, just on that, I mean, for a start and talking about there being a fairy tale ending, compared to what happened in 2010,

I guess if they all get off the bus for a start, that will be considered as being better. That's true. But you mention it there with the stick and the noise that he has to take. Because that's the thing that really strikes me is that for as successful as DDA Deshaun has been as French national team coach, the amount that he has to put up with about the team style of play being this and not being quite right, it seems a huge job in terms of processing all the noise that you're having to cope with. despite the success, which, and I think of other countries that we might happen to be from,

and thinking that no matter what the road to success looks like, it is stony, it is rocky. And France, I think, is a great example of that, that, you know, you can have all these talents, but if you're leaving this player out, then, whoosh. Yeah. Well, though he's very, he's thick skin, obviously, and, you know, he was like that as a player. but yeah I think I think he felt

this was the right time to go but certainly what happened in 2024 in Germany hurt him there's no doubt it felt I think a little bit under attack more than maybe

2016 2014 even the Euro 2021 where there was deflection it was not all on him and everything this one felt on him where there were other circumstances

you know Mbapap breaking his nose and things like that and I think that's why maybe since that Germany Euros is kind of taken the handbreak off a little bit and said, you know what, forget about the conservatism

and the more defensive mindset, the 433 with three defensive midfielders in that midfield three. Let's go a bit more attacking. And that might work, that might not work. But at least I'm glad that for the last competition is decided to change a little bit. It's going to be hard to decide

for the champs which players to take. I was just while you were talking, I was taking memory note of strikers and it came out with Embappé, Komen Desire Duet, Theram and Cuncuncou, Mateta, Colomwani, Echitke, I probably forgot Bacola, probably forgot one or two. So I wonder what profile of player he's going to go for, because you've got all kinds of styles that you can do with these players, but what kind of personality they're going to go for, you think?

I think the idea is 4-2-3-1 and give the ball very quickly to Olyise, Dembele and Mbépe, who are the three who are guaranteed to start in that front four. And then the fourth one, you pick between Barcola, Adwe, Sheki, Heki, Heki, TK, Turam, Koman, whoever is going to be there and Kunku, etc, etc. I don't, I could easily see getting to the quarterfinals and then him saying, that four to three one, do you remember? That was good. What?

Let's go back to four three, bring Rabio in with Chiuamini and Kone and we go back to something far more defensive. But let's see, but he's got so much choice that I think one of the pressure for him and one of the the big decisions he would have, the big cause he would have to make is you can't get that fourth one wrong. The three others, or Lise, Demberley, Mbapé, no argument. The fourth one, you need to get it right. If he's due, there will be pressure on him because he knows that he has to deliver and produce. Otherwise, next time, he could be shirky or barcola or a kitty or somebody else.

And I think for Deschon, he will have to manage that. I should say, I didn't mention Spain's group, which is Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay. France is Senegal, Norway, and then it'll be a playoff winner. So it'll either be Iraq or it could be Bolivia or Suriname. I mentioned that, Jules, because I am one of the most exciting games of the whole group phase, which means it's worth mentioning even 100 days out, is France, Senegal and all of the memories that it is going to bring back for so many people from 2002? Yeah, absolutely. Remember that opening game at that World Cup? GCSEs for me?

Yeah, we were all very young. Guillem was already there working on this fourth World Cup. I'm kidding, I'm kidding. You're not that young Jules. I'm sorry, but come on. I know, I was still at school, though, to be fair. I was at, you know, still journalism school. The ties between the two countries historically, socially, you know, everything is so important. There's obviously the Holland v. Mbapé, narrative,

some point in the Norway, France game, but the Senegal France game will have more to it, really, because of all the players from both sides who could have played for the other country, the dual nationalities, the dual cultures, all of that, I think would be super, super good. And also, as you said, you know, the memories that we've had of 2002 and that incredible Senegalese generation of Alijid Jouf and all of that, Bruno Metsu will be a great story to tell. Okay. Papabubibi Diop RIP. Yeah, of course.

Oh, absolutely. Right. Who's seen Mike Batter, England manager? I've got it. I've got it just round the corner there, Steve. DVD? I like to try and show it to German friends. Is this an England winning team or not?

Well, it depends on your definition. What we say now? VHS, DVD, Blu-ray. Okay. I've got it on DVD. Nice. And, Jules, I think the takeaway from that film is not about success. Oh, no, it's never with England anyway, isn't it?

It's about system over success. Don't England beat France in that film? I think they might beat France one. Sorry, the reason I mention it, Guillem is looking, I mean, non-plused. There's a moment in that film where Pelle is interviewed.

And he's asked about, like, listen, who do you think of the main contenders for the World Cup? And the joke is he mentions every team, apart from England. And then the journalist says, what about England? And he goes, England qualified?

Is that the real Pellé? Is it him really? It is the real Pele. No way. Amazing. So the reason I mention it, Guillem, and Archie and I both have to take a deep breath, is I think we need from you and Jules, the continental view on England this far out from the World Cup. You favour it. You should win it. I agree. I agree. I agree.

What? It's true. Come on. I mean, you could. All right. We don't have, England don't have anywhere near the depth of, you've just listed from France and Spain, both of you, an unbelievable number of players. Yeah. Watch me lift. Watch me list England's options at left back. Lewis Hall. There you go.

I'm kidding. The goalkeeper could be better. But no, the impression, honestly, the impression is that if you put in practice the brand of football that's taken you into a golden age, this is what you've gone through. And you've got also a striker that takes you to the next level. I think a defence can take you to a final. and a goal scorer can win your final or a player that can be differential and you've got that

with a midfield that has learned to play in different ways with players with a lot of experience different experiences as well you have to be in the semifinals the pressure of winning it is just something I add in for a little bit of a spice and more pressure for you

but certainly you should be semi-finalists it's these double agents that you know we invite them into our full football culture. Coming over here. And then they spoon more pressure onto us. What is this? I believe in Thomas Tuchel and so should you are actually knowing him as well as you do.

I think he could be. Man stroked my jackets. Yeah. And yet because Thomas Tuchel is not loved here as a character in Germany, he doesn't get the respect that I think his achievements abroad have merited. So it's funny. My main memory of the way England were viewed at Euro 20204 in Germany was teams thinking, was pundits here saying, well, on paper they should be a good team,

but they just play so poorly and just turning their nose up at it. So I think everyone knows it here that England have potential, but it's will it come together? And I think people are kind of raising the bag of popcorn to see how Thomas Duckel does two former buy-in managers at this World Cup in Julian Naguisman and Thomas Tuckolin to see... And Carlo Ancelotie, three, even. Three, right?

Yeah. There must be another. This is not the future we were promised. Like, how about that for a tagline for the show? From the BBC, this is the interface, the show that explores how tech is rewiring your week and your world. This isn't about quarterly earnings or about tech reviews. It's about what technology.

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a distance. It's just over four years since Russia's wider invasion of Ukraine. Life has changed for everybody there. And that of course includes football, football fans, football clubs. Shaktar Dynetsk have not been able to play a home game for 12 years because of course Russian attacks in the Dombas region long predate the start of that wider invasion. We have with us Shaktar Dynetsk's chief executive, Sergei Power. Selkyn. Sergi, thank you so much for being with us. Before we ask you anything else, how are you, how are your staff? I imagine life is incredibly difficult and no two days are the same for you. Thank you very much for inviting me. Thank you very much. Hello, everybody. And we are now in Kiev and today our team leaving in Kyiv go to play with our opponent, Alexandria.

After Alexandria, we are moving to Turkey for a couple of days for training process, and after that we fly into Conference League game with Lech Posner. Therefore, more or less, at this moment, everything under control and we will see. So there's no such thing as a typical day right now, is there? No, it's not typical because we have a lot of logistics. We are spending, for example, to reach our final destination in Europe, we need sometimes to spend 16 hours.

Because 12, 13 hours in the bus, borders, checking, and etc. After that, you arrive in some way abroad in Poland, take plane, flying to final destination. Therefore, 16 hours for our players, it's very difficult. And even today, we don't have one city where we are training and leaving, because some of time we are staying in Leviv because it's quite close to come abroad and play European games. Some days we stay in Kiev and et cetera, et cetera. Therefore, to manage teams in this kind of conditions, it's sometimes almost impossible. Because nobody for the last 30 years don't have this kind of experience,

how to recover players and manage players in this kind of conditions. and especially participate in European competitions, and Champions League, Europa League, Conference League, and etc. Therefore, for us, this is, let's say, challenges. And we already, for this last year, we're more or less adapted to this situation. But in any case, it's very, very hard to live in this kind of conditions. Sergi, last year I spoke to a lot of Ukraine's deaf athletes because they'd had an amazing deaf Olympics

and they'd top the medal table and they were given an audience with Vladimir Zelensky. And what became really clear is how proud he is of Ukraine's sporting institutions and the way they highlight to the rest of the world, the enduring spirit of Ukrainians. So you must be very proud with Shaktar to be such a big part of that as well.

Yes, you're right, because from the beginning of war, we understood that our championship was stopped, but in any case, our club didn't stop. We continue to help people. We open in Levovah Arena shelter for all refugees coming from eastern part of Ukraine to western part of Ukraine. We accepted there thousands of people who is arriving there without food, without nothing, even without passports, you know, and giving them opportunity to adapt to understand what's going on, how to move. on, you know, in life. Therefore, from the big, in two, three months of the beginning of war, we realized that we need to play football, we need to continue this one. We started to play

friendly games abroad and started to generate some money for our population, for our people. Therefore, I am proud of our club. I am proud of our players, management, and I am proud in respect of the whole Ukrainian football. Because we are still alive. We continue to compete, we continue to play, even taking into account that we have sometimes impossible conditions to be competitive in this time. Sergei, I want to go back to those conditions because I think it's important to understand you day to day. I met you a couple of times and we follow you for a whole year on CBS, the other company I work for. and we saw things like hotels you were going to be based on hit by Russian missiles and you're having to change another hotel or last minute change of traveling plans,

rate alerts during games and having to find shelter. Would you tell us more about if that's still happening? And what is shelter in a stadium and what's the last circumstances you have to leave through? You know, most of time shelters in a stadium, it's a dressing room of players. because actually because dressing room most of places located underneath

of tribunes and you have some kind of coverage, some kind of protection you have parking zones underneath of tribunes and etc. This is almost our shelters if we are talking about team

if we are talking about spectators because sometimes we are allowed to invite up to 2,000 spectators for every match and for spectators we have separate buildings And but they need to go out from stadium and go to this special equipped spaces.

Therefore, for us, this is what we have at this moment. And to compete one more time, to compete in these conditions is very, very difficult. And this year, for example, it's very important year for us because we have 90 years of our club, university, you know, and our owner, President Ignathe Khmato, he is already 30 years, like owner, if you will look at Europe, you know, you will not, you will find just a few guys who is in charge for clubs for this number of years. Therefore, we have very important this year and we are in a position to win championship, you know, to bring some kind of positive emotions to our fans, you know.

So, I just wonder, in your role as chief executive, it's already hard enough trying to sign players and to sell a project. I just wanted to ask, what's your pitch to potential new signings when you're trying to sell them the vision of coming to Shaktar and the identity of the club? First of all, I would like to say that when you have to say, when you have to share, when you have. have peace in the country. I mean, now world is, especially football world, also changing very quickly. A lot of innovations, artificial intelligence, and et cetera, et cetera.

But when you stay in a war territory, in a war time, it's all decisions. Everything should be made very quick. For example, at this moment, we are changing a strategy of our club. For example, at the beginning of season, we appointed new, a new coach, appointed new head of medical department, new brand manager, new head of communications,

new head of legal department. We are rebuilding scouting department at this moment because we understand that we need to compete, we need to change a lot of stuff. We are rebuilding medical department. We created a department relating to strategic initiatives. We are trying to build at this moment performance department. Therefore, all these actions, you need to do very quickly. And for example, why we have quite success in transfer activity in our scouting? Because we make decisions quite quickly. Because our president, Renate Ahmed, he is not afraid to invest into young talents,

Brazilian talents. And these Brazilians coming to us even in this time, because they understand that our club is quite big. platform for them to be developed and it's like bridge between our country to European football. And we have a lot of cases like the last one with Kevin, we have Sudako, we have a lot of Brazilians. I mean, they understand this kind of picture. And even in wartimes, they come here. Yes, I spend a lot of time to convince them to come here. I connect them with existing Brazilian players to talk to explain how everything operates here, how we are protecting them, how

work our system in respect of shelters and etc., etc. In any case, they come. It was quite hard to invite first three Brazilians during war. But when three, first three arrive, another one, it's easy because you just connect them with newcomers and share their experience and explain what's going on here, whether they should come here or not. But in any case, if you are talking about transfer market, It's very important to make decisions very quickly because time is key a factor to have success on the transfer market.

Because for us, it's difficult to compete, for example, with Chelsea, with Manchester City, with Real Madrid, with clubs with big money coming on Brazilian market and paying for 17, 16 years old guys, you know, 40 million, 80 million and etc., etc. For us, we cannot do this one. Therefore, our competitive advantage that we understand Brazilian market and we make decision quite quickly. Therefore, because of this one, I believe that we have success. But in any case, even having this kind of successful stories,

and we also change a lot now in scouting department and this kind of activity. Therefore, because we understand that clubs like Chelsea, like city, they're also developing a lot. And they're also investing a lot into development of their scouting technical department and etc., etc. And Sergei, what about the academy as well?

Because you used to have a really strong academy. It's important, I'm sure, for you to have, you know, players who relate to the club very strongly. It's important for children in Ukraine to dream about becoming a professional playing for Shaktao, Dynamo Kiev, or, you know, whatever the closest city or whatever club they dream to play for. it is more difficult with the war now to have a structure in place for young players at every level 10 years old 15 years old reserve team all of that how do you manage all of this you know when war started we moved our academy into Croatia and they stay there almost two years and we have collaboration with split football club

Croatian club and they help us a lot and we have good collaboration with Croatian government they also have so two years they stay there after that we return them back. But in any case, you know, our biggest problem at this moment because when war started, a lot of talented players live together with family. Because now our academy players plan in Barcelona, playing by our Munich, playing in many top clubs, you know. And for us, it's almost impossible to return them back. Because how you explain players that you should leave Barcelona

and return back to our, I mean, especially that they live together with family and they already adapted and et cetera. So we lost a lot of talents from the beginning of war. And even now, we have problems and this problem, it's like, I mean, you should understand that almost seven, from seven to ten million Ukrainians left country. And this is our competitive potential. And together with families, young boys left. Therefore, today, it's quite difficult to find talented Ukrainian guys. And taking into account that we have also quite big competition in Ukrainian market now from another clubs, because another Ukrainian clubs also developing a lot of academies, they understand that it's quite difficult at this moment to

buy foreign players, to pay big money. Therefore, they concentrate on our local market. Therefore, competition at this moment very, very hard here. But in any case, all our strategy, is what we had in respect of academy. We are trying to meet, you know, we are trying to continue. Sometimes we can argue about quality, but in any case, you know that we had a good example, like Sudakov, who left to Benfica, Mudrik, who left to Chelsea. I mean, we have quite well-known players.

And for us, it's also quite competitive advantage for Ukrainian boys, because they see as they understand that they have chance to jump to the big level. Therefore, for us it's a big plus and we continue to invest into academy, into young boys and etc. Sergei, I noticed that from the office you're sitting in in Kiev behind you is a framed photograph of the Dombas Arena. And I just wonder emotionally what it does to you to have that there and the importance of having it there. been at the club for many, many years, you got your current job in 2004. So you predate the situation just that we're talking about. So what does it, what does it sort of do to you to have that there as a reminder? Can you imagine more than 10 years ago it was our life and now it's our

dream, you know, because it's our dream to return back. And at this moment it's very difficult to do. But all people working in club, including our president, Renata Hmeira, we all dreaming one day to return back to our city, to our stadium. Because really, it was amazing stadium. It was one of the best stadiums in Europe. And we had the average attendance like up to 50,000 people every game. And now we have 2,000. I mean, therefore, in respect, respect of all criteria stadium which

located behind of me is our dream where we need to be where we need to stay and because

of this dream you know somehow we operate at this moment somehow we are surviving because people

and the clubs without dream it's difficult to manage Sergi it's been absolutely

wonderful having you with us thank you so much and we're just sending you all the

love all our best wishes for you and for Shaktal supporters from all of the stuff. I know it's just the most difficult time. But to see you and to see you smiling is a wonderful thing. So thank you again. Thank you very much. Thank you very much for invitation. All the best.

And thank you for your support. Thank you. Wonderful. Sergei Palkin, the chief executive of Shaktar Donets with us on the Euroleagues. Guillaume, Jules, Archie, great stuff. Thank you all very much as always. Thank you. Guillaume.

Giam Balaga, Julian, Leon, Archie, who've been with us on the Euroleagues, as always. Thank you so much for listening. app. This is not the future we were promised. How about that for a tagline for the show? From the BBC, this is the interface, the show that explores how tech is rewiring your week and your world. This isn't about quarterly earnings or about tech reviews.

It's about what technology is actually doing to your work and your politics, your everyday life. And all the bizarre ways people are using the internet. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.