KHARKIV, Ukraine, January 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

The transfer of a leading player for FC Metalist, Brazilian footballer Taison to Donetsk Shakhtar, became part of Aleksander Yaroslavskiy's sale of the Kharkiv club to Gas Ukraine.

In an interview to UNIAN, the president of DCH A. Yaroslavskiy, commented on the official report of Taison's transfer to Rinat Akhmetov's club, as well as the issue of the price of FC Metalist.

"I guess Taison wanted to leave. The player had the contract payoff amount - $ 20 million, so Taison apparently used this, and the transfer took place. I believe that any transfer is normal. That is, how and for whom this is normal - we'll see. Is it normal for Metalist? We'll see the results of how well Metalist's success develops, this is the first. Second, the success of Shakhtar; will Taison bring Shakhtar the thing Shakhtar counts on, we shall see too. Thirdly, the financial question; money for Taison are part of the cost of the club," said A. Yaroslavskiy.

In this case, A. Yaroslavskiy neither confirmed nor denied media reports that FC Metalist's cost for Gas Ukraine was $ 300 million, and as for how much he sold his club, the former owner said "I can not say. The contract was signed under which the information is confidential."

Speaking of Taison's class, and on the question whether he considers the transfer of the player, who was bought in 2010 from Internacional for 6.3 million euros, as a loss for Metalist, A. Yaroslavskiy answered: "In Metalist Taison showed excellent results, he was a leader, scored a fantastic goal against Bayer, got famous forever, announced himself to Europe. Now we will see him in Shakhtar. We hope that he will gain there too."

According A. Yaroslavskiy, he cares about the fate of Metalist, just like all of Ukrainian football, and he confirmed that in the future a new "football project" is possible.

If time allows, the businessman said he would like to watch the game of Metalist in the Europa League match against Newcastle to be held in England in February.

As UNIAN reported on January 11, the official website of FC Shakhtar reported that the Donetsk club acquired FC Metalist's (the owner - company Gas Ukraine) Taison, under a 5 year contract for a transfer sum of $ 20 million.

On December 24, 2012, Kharkiv businessman, investor and general coordinator of Kharkiv's preparations for Euro 2012, Aleksander Yaroslavskiy, said that he abdicated as president of FC Metalist and passed the funding obligations of the club to another investor.

A. Yaroslavskiy noted that the main reason for the sale of the club was due to "obscure claims from city authorities to me as an investor and as a result, an unprecedented psychological pressure on the team and the staff."

Prior to that, in mid-December the Kharkiv city council deputies adopted an appeal to the President of the Regional Council Sergiy Chernov, to give RSC Metalist to the municipal ownership of the city of Kharkiv. In 2007, for the period of reconstruction and preparation for Euro-2012, RSC Metalist was transferred to the management of Kharkiv Regional Council by the city.

After the decision, A. Yaroslavskiy warned that he could stop funding the club due to the allegations of the mayor of Kharkiv Gennadiy Kernes that Metalist stadium should be returned to the communal ownership of Kharkiv. Meanwhile, the next day, the head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration Mikhail Dobkin, commented on the situation, whereby he said that he did not exclude the possibility of selling the stadium Metalist to a private person.

Immediately after A. Yaroslavskiy's announcement of resignation as Metalist president, the agreement with the group Gas Ukraine on the acquisition of FC Metalist from A. Yaroslavskiy, was reported. Company owner S. Kurchenko soon expressed the desire to purchase RSC Metalist.

After FC Metalist received its new owner, a number of Kharkiv media outlets reported that the candidate for the post of president of FC Metalist is one of the sons of President Viktor Yanukovych, Aleksander, but at a press conference M. Dobkin refuted this information.

Original Source: UNIAN NEWS AGENCY, http://kharkiv.unian.net/ukr/detail/203502