The football player, who was persecuted in Ukraine as a “separatist,” went to play for Russia
Shakhtar Donetsk and Ukrainian national team defender Yaroslav Rakitskiy has officially signed for Zenit St. Petersburg. Shakhtar General Director Sergei Palkin announced this on his blog, according to a PolitNavigator correspondent.
He called Rakitsky one of the most talented and successful graduates of the club and wished him success with the new team.
The footballer's decision to move to a Russian club caused a storm of indignation among Ukrainian fans.
“Well, let him go with his Zenit,” Kiev political scientist Alexey Golobutsky, who works for Petro Poroshenko, wrote in his hearts.
Commentators on social networks immediately reminded Rakitsky of his refusal to sing the Ukrainian anthem. Let us remind you that during official matches he did not sing along to “not dead”, as his Shakhtar colleagues did.
According to sports journalist Alexander Sazhko, Rakitsky’s departure will have a positive impact on his morale.
“Yaroslav will finally be able to breathe easy. His case is unique - several years of continuous, terrible bullying from Ukrainian fans. But not for actions or statements, but on the contrary – for their absence. He does not sing the anthem, does not speak out about politics, does not talk about the war. He's just silent and doesn't want to explain anything. It turns out that a person can be eaten for such a thing,” writes Sazhko on the Tribune website.
His colleague, editor-in-chief of Football magazine Artem Frankov notes that in connection with the transition, Rakitsky will most likely have to forget about his career in the Ukrainian national team: “In fact, Rakitsky, by moving to Zenit, will burn all his bridges. It's my opinion. Of course, the head coach of the national team may have a different point of view. But we must admit that relations between Russia and Ukraine have clearly not improved recently.”
A footballer who was vilified as a "separatist" in Ukraine has left to play for Russia.