Asters, working with Heuking, has advised Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk football club on organizing its home matches during the UEFA Champions League and Europa League competitions in Hamburg, Germany, as a guest of the Hamburger SV football club.
According to Asters, the mandate involved a financial agreement between Shakhtar and Hamburger, with an eye to allocating the tax costs and preventing double taxation. "As a result, each party paid its fair share of taxes to the relevant government, in accordance with Ukrainian and German tax laws."
Shakhtar, one of the most successful Ukrainian football clubs, has been operating as a refugee club since 2014, when Russia occupied Donetsk, the firm reported. "The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022 brought a number of challenges for the club. It lost its infrastructure and almost half of its players, who were foreign legionnaires. Some of these players terminated their contracts as free agents in accordance with FIFA's authorization, causing the club significant financial losses."
According to Asters, the partnership with Hamburger SV was a lifeline for Shakhtar to continue playing in the Champions/Europa League and generate revenue to maintain its operations. "Participation in top-level European competitions also maintains the visibility of the club's brand on a global stage, and attracts fans and sponsors."
The Asters team included Partner Constantin Solyar and Senior Associate Yurii Dmytrenko.