This victory is very important for the fans and the country
Thursday, October 15, 2026
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FC Shakhtar president Rinat Akhmetov shared his thoughts on the victory over AEK in the UEFA Champions League
– Mr Akhmetov, it is a pleasure to see you, and congratulations on the victory! Today, Shakhtar played their first home match in the Champions League in London. What emotions did this victory bring you, and after conceding the opening goal, did you expect the match to end in such a convincing win?
– Thank you! Congratulations to you, too! I think it was a very interesting game, and of course, I believed we would come back and win. It was a very difficult and tense game. Why? Because everyone thought we needed to pick up points specifically in the match against this team, but they are no easy opponents. AEK are a very serious side, the Greek champions. They are a very fast and aggressive team that play combination-based, attacking football. They are an experienced team with a very experienced and good coach, as well as good players. I am very pleased, and I want to congratulate all our fans on such an important victory. This is very important for us, for the fans and for the country. I want to congratulate all our soldiers and say a huge thank you to them for defending Ukraine and every metre of Ukrainian land. And I hope this has brought them at least a little joy too.
– Do you think the substitutions changed the course of today’s match?
– They improved our play. I think all the footballers deserve huge applause and enormous respect. Everyone was very focused, and we played in an organised way. The substitutions were good and helped us secure three points today. Can we say that Mendoza came on and scored a great goal? Yes. At the same time, the whole team worked towards that goal, and we must express our immense gratitude to all the footballers.
– Shakhtar will play their home matches in this European campaign at the legendary Stamford Bridge. How pleased are you with the atmosphere today, with around 30,000 fans in attendance?
– I am pleased, and of course, I want to thank every fan who came to support us. It was very important. When you are 1-0 down, coming back to win the match is not easy. And of course, it would have been very difficult for us without the fans, perhaps even impossible. So we hope that the stadium will probably be full for our next match here, and we will be delighted if that happens.
– Through its work, Shakhtar continues to remind the world that the war in Ukraine is still ongoing. How important is this mission for the club?
– It is very important. The whole world already knows that the war is continuing in Ukraine, that innocent civilians are being killed in Ukraine – children, mothers and people who have done nothing wrong. Russia has unleashed a cruel and unjust war against Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. We are all waiting for a just and lasting peace, and we must take every opportunity to speak about the need to put an end to all this. Innocent people are being killed in Ukraine – civilians, children, mothers, ordinary people – and all this must stop. So that Ukraine can achieve a just and lasting peace. And I am confident that it will.
– Does Shakhtar dedicate today’s victory to all of Ukraine?
– To all of Ukraine, to all Ukrainians. Once again, I want to say a huge thank you for your resilience, courage and perseverance. I am convinced that everything will be all right for us.
– There are currently a lot of rumours that our head coach, Arda Turan, could take charge of the Türkiye national team. How have you reacted to these rumours?
– You know, I am convinced that these are not rumours, but that this is actually the case. I am sure that both the Türkiye national team and the Turkish Football Federation are thinking about how to approach Arda Turan and appoint him as head coach. I am convinced that many clubs are also thinking about how to bring Arda Turan in to take charge of a very, very big European club. What does this tell us? It tells us that a year ago, when we made our decision, we did not make a mistake. We made the right choice. It shows that he is a young, very brave, very ambitious and highly intelligent coach. And he has an enormous future ahead of him. I have no doubt about that. And of course, we will do everything we can to keep him as Shakhtar’s head coach.
– Thank you! Congratulations to you, too! I think it was a very interesting game, and of course, I believed we would come back and win. It was a very difficult and tense game. Why? Because everyone thought we needed to pick up points specifically in the match against this team, but they are no easy opponents. AEK are a very serious side, the Greek champions. They are a very fast and aggressive team that play combination-based, attacking football. They are an experienced team with a very experienced and good coach, as well as good players. I am very pleased, and I want to congratulate all our fans on such an important victory. This is very important for us, for the fans and for the country. I want to congratulate all our soldiers and say a huge thank you to them for defending Ukraine and every metre of Ukrainian land. And I hope this has brought them at least a little joy too.
– Do you think the substitutions changed the course of today’s match?
– They improved our play. I think all the footballers deserve huge applause and enormous respect. Everyone was very focused, and we played in an organised way. The substitutions were good and helped us secure three points today. Can we say that Mendoza came on and scored a great goal? Yes. At the same time, the whole team worked towards that goal, and we must express our immense gratitude to all the footballers.
– Shakhtar will play their home matches in this European campaign at the legendary Stamford Bridge. How pleased are you with the atmosphere today, with around 30,000 fans in attendance?
– I am pleased, and of course, I want to thank every fan who came to support us. It was very important. When you are 1-0 down, coming back to win the match is not easy. And of course, it would have been very difficult for us without the fans, perhaps even impossible. So we hope that the stadium will probably be full for our next match here, and we will be delighted if that happens.
– Through its work, Shakhtar continues to remind the world that the war in Ukraine is still ongoing. How important is this mission for the club?
– It is very important. The whole world already knows that the war is continuing in Ukraine, that innocent civilians are being killed in Ukraine – children, mothers and people who have done nothing wrong. Russia has unleashed a cruel and unjust war against Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. We are all waiting for a just and lasting peace, and we must take every opportunity to speak about the need to put an end to all this. Innocent people are being killed in Ukraine – civilians, children, mothers, ordinary people – and all this must stop. So that Ukraine can achieve a just and lasting peace. And I am confident that it will.
– Does Shakhtar dedicate today’s victory to all of Ukraine?
– To all of Ukraine, to all Ukrainians. Once again, I want to say a huge thank you for your resilience, courage and perseverance. I am convinced that everything will be all right for us.
– There are currently a lot of rumours that our head coach, Arda Turan, could take charge of the Türkiye national team. How have you reacted to these rumours?
– You know, I am convinced that these are not rumours, but that this is actually the case. I am sure that both the Türkiye national team and the Turkish Football Federation are thinking about how to approach Arda Turan and appoint him as head coach. I am convinced that many clubs are also thinking about how to bring Arda Turan in to take charge of a very, very big European club. What does this tell us? It tells us that a year ago, when we made our decision, we did not make a mistake. We made the right choice. It shows that he is a young, very brave, very ambitious and highly intelligent coach. And he has an enormous future ahead of him. I have no doubt about that. And of course, we will do everything we can to keep him as Shakhtar’s head coach.