OP-ED

Christian Mamo: Ukraine targets smuggling, and with it, an unlikely football success story

By Christian Mamo.

Published April 12, 2021 at 5:46 pm

The players of the Real Madrid (L) and Shakhtar Donetsk clubs line up before the UEFA Champions League Group B football match at the Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kyiv on Dec. 1, 2020.

Photo by Kostyantyn Chernichkin

Was revenue from smuggling used to finance the swift rise of a Ukrainian football team from obscurity to the country’s highest tier?

A fresh corruption scandal has hit Ukrainian football with the owner of FC Minaj having his assets frozen by Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council for his role in a smuggling ring.