(ANSA) - DONETSK - Shakhtar Donetsk's president Rinat Akhmetov, confirms: ''It's true, six players have not come back, but I cannot exclude the possibility that they may join our team as soon as possible''. In a statement published on the website of the Ukrainian club, Shakhtar's chief executive announced that six non-Ukrainian footballers (Fred, Douglas Costa, Alex Teixeira, Dentinho, Facundo Ferreyra and Ismaily) have not come back to the country along with their team after the friendly match played against Lyon.

These six players were evidently affected by the escalation in clashes between government troops and pro-Russian separatists that led to last week's shooting down of a Malaysian Airlines Boeing with 298 passengers on board. ''I cannot exclude - Akhmetov added - that these players will soon join their team, and some of them may come back tomorrow''. (ANSA).