---
title: "Sidorov and the 'bridge transfer': FC Harkiv and the UAF demand FIFA stop the player's move to an amateur Russian club"
description: "FC Harkiv and the UAF have sent appeals to FIFA to stop the attempt by 25-year-old Alexey Sidorov, who has a valid contract until 2028, to register with an amateur Russian club."
date: 2026-08-25T14:04:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/sidorov-bridge-transfer-fk-harkiv-fifa
tags: [ukrainian-football, fc-kharkiv, fifa, transfer-dispute, aleksey-sidorov, russia]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

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

![FC Kharkiv representative on the stadium tribune wearing sunglasses and a club wristband amid the Sydorov transfer dispute](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/25/sidorov-perexod-v-rossiyu-fk-harkiv-fifa/sidorov-perexod-v-rossiyu-fk-harkiv-fifa-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- A request for Alexey Sidorov's transfer certificate to an amateur Russian club appeared in the TMS system, despite his valid contract with FC Harkiv until 2028.
- The club and the UAF consider registration with an amateur team a stage of a 'bridge transfer' and have sent appeals to FIFA to defend their contractual rights.
- According to the club's version, Sidorov left Ukraine on his own initiative about a year ago (August 2025), refusing to return despite an ultimatum.

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.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [This is only the beginning: FC Harkiv details the escape of its player to Russia](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/football/tse-tilki-pochatok-fk-harkiv-rozpovili-detali-1787665732.html) - Первичный источник: заявление вице-президента ФК «Харьков» Юрия Коротун. Подтверждает запрос в TMS, контракт до 2028 г., обращение в ФИФА, события августа 2025 г. и карьеру игрока. Оговорка: позиция односторонняя, без заявления игрока.
- [Alexey Sidorov heads the investigation organization department of the Don regional MVD office](https://news.mail.ru/society/71294953/) - Речь о другом человеке с тем же именем (сотрудник МВД Ростовской области). Не имеет отношения к футболисту; использовано лишь для предупреждения о совпадении имён.
- [Insider reveals Kalyuzhny's salary at FC Harkiv](https://www.ua-football.com/ukrainian/high/1784984123-insayder-raskryl-zarplatu-kalyuzhnogo-v-fk-harkov.html) - Материал о другом игроке (Калюжный) и не затрагивает сюжет Сидорова; в статью не включён.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What happened with Alexey Sidorov's transfer?
**A:** According to FC Harkiv and the UAF, a request for Sidorov's international transfer certificate to an amateur Russian club appeared in the TMS system, although the player has a valid contract with the Harkiv team until 2028.

### Q: Why does the club consider this unlawful?
**A:** The club claims that Sidorov left Ukraine and the team on his own initiative about a year ago, and that registration with an amateur team is merely a stage of a 'bridge transfer' for the unilateral termination of the contract. Therefore, 'Harkiv' and the UAF have sent appeals to FIFA.

### Q: When did the conflict around the player begin?
**A:** According to the club's version, in August 2025: at a meeting with the youth team of 'Metalist 1925', Sidorov refused to return to Ukraine despite an ultimatum.

### Q: Is there a statement from the footballer himself?
**A:** There is no statement from Sidorov himself or his representatives in available sources; the article presents the position of FC Harkiv and the UAF, which is noted in the 'Contradictory data' block.