Kharkiv businessman Oleksandr Yaroslavsky has stated that he wants to buy back his former soccer club, Metalist Kharkiv. He owned the club until December 2012, when it was bought for a reported $300 million by Serhiy Kurchenko, who is wanted by authorities for wide-scale embezzlement and tax evasion.
Speaking at the Economic Forum in Kharkiv that his DCH group is co-sponsoring on Sept. 4, Yaroslavsky, whose wealth is estimated by Forbes Ukraine at $774 million, told a journalist, “sure,” when asked whether he intended to buy back the club. He did not elaborate on his response.
News of the 2012 sale came as a shock to many in the soccer world, with Shakhtar Donetsk billionaire owner Rimat Akhmetov commenting that he only learned of the sale the day before and did not have an opportunity to persuade Yaroslavsky to change his mind.
It was widely believed that a dispute between Yaroslavksy and Kharkiv authorities over the building of Metalist Kharkiv’s new stadium, into which Yaroslavky had invested his own money, was behind the surprise decision. Under Yaroslavsky, the club had won the bronze medal in the Ukrainian Premier league for six consecutive years.
Kurchenko’s whereabouts are currently unknown, although he is believed to be living in Russia. Once known as Ukraine’s youngest billionaire, he was widely believed to be a front for Yanukovych and fled the country in February 2014, just days before the disgraced former president abandoned office.
Kurchenko is wanted by the Ukrainian Interior Ministry for misappropriation of public funds, embezzlement and abuse of office. He is also subject to an asset freeze and travel ban instated by the European Union in March 2014, on the grounds of misusing Ukrainian state funds. He has described the allegations as a misunderstanding. In July 2015, the U.S. added his name to its list of sanctioned individuals.
Kurchenko’s fugitive status has enabled Ukrainian courts to seize some of his assets, including the Odesa oil refinery. However, Metalist Kharkiv was left with significant debts and has been plagued by financial problems. Respected coach Myron Markevych resigned in February 2014 after nine years with the team, citing the club’s debts and unpaid salaries as the reason for his decision.
In an interview with football24, he said that the club was “falling apart right before my eyes and I don’t want to bear witness to this.”
The club has also lost several top players, including Argentinians José Sosa, Jonatan Cristaldo, Alejandro Gómez and Sebastián Blanco, who refused to return to Ukraine for the start of the 2014 season. Metalist Kharkiv placed sixth in domestic rankings at the close of the 2014-2015 season.
In January, it was reported that Metalist Kharkiv was looking for a new office and stadium as they could no longer afford to maintain their existing home.
The same month, Yaroslavsky first raised the possibility of re-buying Metalist Kharkiv, telling tribuna.com that his heart ached for the team. “I have not made a formal offer yet but I am ready for dialogue,” he said.
Sandra MacKenzie can be reached at [email protected]
