Sidorov and the 'bridge transfer': FC Harkiv and the UAF demand FIFA stop the player's move to an amateur Russian club

Ukrainian football club FC Harkiv, together with the Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF), has initiated proceedings to defend its contractual rights in international bodies after a request to transfer a current player of the team to Russia appeared in the transfer documentation system. This was stated in a statement to the club's press service by FC Harkiv Vice-President Yuriy Korotun, whose words, citing Sport RBC.UA, this publication relies on.

The TMS request: how the scandal began

According to information received by the club from the UAF, last week a request for the issuance of an International Transfer Certificate (ITC) concerning 25-year-old Alexey Sidorov was recorded in the international TMS (Transfer Matching System). The destination of the presumed move in the system is listed as an amateur club from Russia. Korotun noted that the management's reaction to this message was extremely negative: in his words, the player left Ukraine and the team on his own initiative about a year ago, despite having a valid agreement, and, in the club's assessment, 'went further'.

'Bridge transfer': the club's version of a legal maneuver

At 'Harkiv' they are convinced that registration with an amateur team is not the final goal, but merely an intermediate stage of so-called 'bridge transfer'. According to this version, such a structure is used to unilaterally annul the valid contract with the Ukrainian club, after which the player can move to the real beneficiary. The club emphasizes that Sidorov's valid agreement with 'Harkiv' runs until 2028, and therefore any attempts to circumvent it without the consent of the parties are considered unlawful.

Contract until 2028 and appeal to FIFA

FC Harkiv and the UAF have already sent the corresponding letters and appeals to FIFA, demanding compliance with contractual discipline. Korotun stated outright that the club and the association are against a situation in which a footballer with valid obligations to a Ukrainian club can simply ignore them and obtain the opportunity to play for another team, 'especially in Russia'. At the same time, the club acknowledges that the letters sent are only the beginning of the process, and promises to consistently defend its interests in all international football bodies, insisting that no dangerous precedent be created for other Ukrainian clubs.

The escape story: August 2025

The conflict around Sidorov, according to the publication, began back in August 2025. At that time, the footballer, who was at a meeting with the youth team of 'Metalist 1925' (the predecessor of the current 'Harkiv'), refused to return to Ukraine despite the club's ultimatum. Since then, according to the Harkiv management's version, the player has remained outside the country, and now, as has become known, is attempting to register with an amateur Russian club.

Sidorov's career: the path to the Harkiv club

Alexey Sidorov is 25 years old and a native of Makeyivka. At the senior level he played for Zaporizhzhia's 'Metallurg' and 'Metalist 1925' (the current 'Harkiv'). While under contract with the Harkiv team, Sidorov also spent time at 'Kolos' on loan. It was in the status of a player bound to 'Harkiv' by a long-term agreement that he, according to the club's claim, left Ukraine.

Contradictory data

Two important caveats should be noted separately. First, all legal qualification of the situation — 'unlawful escape', 'bridge transfer', 'unilateral annulment' — comes exclusively from the position of FC Harkiv and the UAF; there is no public statement from Sidorov himself or his representatives in available sources, so the player's version is not presented in this material. Second, the news field features a namesake Alexey Sidorov associated with the head of the Don (Rostov-on-Don) regional office of the MVD, but this is a different person with no connection to the footballer; mixing these stories is incorrect. Thus, the fact of the appearance of the request in TMS is confirmed by the statement of the club and the UAF, while the player's motives and the legal assessment remain one-sided until FIFA's decision.