Borussia Dortmund are not planning to sign players with suspended contracts from Ukrainian and Russian leagues

Per Ruhr Nachrichten, Borussia Dortmund will not be looking to sign players from Russian or Ukrainian clubs after FIFA opened a temporary transfer window in light of Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

The ongoing events surrounding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have had sweeping implications across the globe. Football, particularly in both Russia and Ukraine, has not escaped these implications. Due to the transgressions being perpetrated on Ukrainian soil, FIFA has opened a temporary transfer window until the 7th of April whereby foreign players are allowed to suspend their contracts with clubs in Ukraine and Russia until June 30th, 2022 and sign with another team until the end of the season. Russian clubs were given until March 10 to come to an agreement with their players. Clubs would be able to sign a maximum of 2 foreign players who find themselves in this situation.

According to RN, Borussia Dortmund will not be looking to sign any players from these countries. The reason for this is because there is no clarity around what will happen in the advent of the end of the season considering the respective players’ contracts come back into effect once the season comes to a close.

With the situation as it stands and civilian casualties mounting, football will of course not be the first and foremost worry on the minds of many when they think of Ukraine. The reality is that many of the players seeking new clubs will likely have faced a level of trauma which is unimaginable to most. It remains to be seen if they will even be able to continue their seasons even at another club. Foreign players who play for Shakhtar Donetsk were evacuated to Romania at the beginning of March. Other Ukrainian clubs have also managed to evacuate players as well.

Should certain players wish to continue playing, there are a few names that I could think of that would indeed benefit Dortmund if the club were to change their minds.

The likes of Shakhtar Donetsk’s Tete and David Neres could be useful out wide. Zenit St. Petersburg’s Malcom is also a player who has piqued Dortmund’s interest in the past, particularly when he was playing for French side Bordeaux. These players could help alleviate Dortmund’s current problems on the wing and add depth in a position they haven’t properly addressed since the departure of Jadon Sancho.

While it is very reasonable that FIFA has allowed for this transfer window to take place and for players to continue their careers beyond the confines of two nations embroiled by war, the focus cannot be taken away from the conflict that has made these actions a necessity. Much of the football community has stood with Ukraine and denounced Russia’s actions in the hopes that we may find ourselves living in more peaceful times once again.