Teams like Manchester United and Arsenal once graced the turf of a stadium that has been left abandoned for over a decade
A general view shows the Donbass Arena Stadium in Donetsk on April 18, 2017. In its halcyon days, the Donbass Arena in eastern Ukraine was a gleaming temple to football, welcoming some of the sport's biggest names through its portals. But while star players are now lining up in the Confederations Cup tournament across the border in Russia, the Arena is wasting away. Seized by insurgents waging a bloody three-year conflict against Kiev, the venue is in a state of pitiful decline.
The Donbass Arena was the home of Shakhtar Donetsk(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
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A stadium that hosted some of the biggest football matches in the world was left abandoned after just five years of use. The Donbass Arena in Ukraine was built as the home of Shakhtar Donetsk, designed by the same construction firm that created the Etihad Stadium and the Allianz Arena.
The 52,000 seater cost £318million to build, opening its doors on August 29, 2009, after three years of construction. At the time, it was a sign of progressive thinking as the eastern European country, which only regained independence in 1991, looked out to the world.
Ukrainian giants Shakhtar flew the flag for their country in Europe as the Donbass Arena regularly hosted Champions League matches. Manchester United faced Shakhtar there in October 2013 in the competition, with the sides drawing 1-1.
Arsenal also played there, suffering a 2-1 defeat three years earlier in the group stage. The stadium also hosted five games at Euro 2012, including England's draw with France, and Spain’s penalty shootout victory over Portugal in the semi-finals.
However, it was only in use for five years, being abandoned in 2014 and not used since. The UEFA Category 4 ground was shelled after the Donbas war broke out between Ukraine and Russia in 2014.
Shakhtar's last game there was in 2014, a 3-1 over Illichivets Mariupol that secured a fifth straight league title, but barely 18,000 people turned up as the city braced for war.
Later that year, it sustained serious damage from the turnstiles and entrances as a result of heavy artillery and explosions as the conflict escalated. A shell initially crashed into the arena, starting a fire. A rocket also later landed in the vicinity of the stadium.
A Man Photographs Damaged After Recent Shelling of the Donbass Arena Stadium in Donetsk Ukraine 20 October 2014 Which was Used in the Soccer Uefa Euro 2012 Cup European Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger Met Ukrainian Officials in Kiev on 20 October 2014 One Day Ahead of a Key Round of Gas Talks and As Eu Ministers Prepared to Review the Bloc's Economic Sanctions on Russia Ukraine Donetsk
The Donbass Arena was abandoned in 2014 and damaged in 2022(Image: Alexander Ermochenko/EPA/REX/Shutterstock)
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Pictures from the time show the stadium with part of its roof and facade blown off and various pieces of debris strewn across the floor outside.
"It was pretty costly to repair the roof after the blast pulled it off," Victoria, a stadium guide, told the BBC in 2019. "The job needs finishing, and that takes money the DPR don't have."
FC Shakhtar Donetsk' player, Brazilian Alex Teixeira celebrates after scoring against Chelsea FC during the UEFA Champions League, Group E, football match in Donetsk on October 23, 2012
It used to host Champions League fixtures(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
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The escalation of conflict in the region forced Shakhtar to leave their modern marvel of a stadium and instead play their fixtures in western Ukraine, at Arena Lviv. And despite later images suggesting the stadium had been fully repaired, Shakhtar didn't return to the region.
Russia then launched a full-scale invasion of the country in 2022. As such, it is unclear whether the stadium will ever be used again, having been further damaged in recent attacks.
Workers Fix a Window of Damaged After Shelling Donbass Arena Stadium in Donetsk Ukraine 29 October 2014 Donbass Arena Stadium was Used in the Soccer Uefa Euro 2012 Cup Ukrainians Had Voted For a New Parliament on 26 October Hoping to Restore Political Stability to the Crisis-hit Country But Few Observers Expect That They Will Facilitate a Peaceful Solution to the Bloody Conflict with Pro-russian Separatists Meanwhile the Pro-western Parties of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk Began Coalition Talks As Preliminary Figures Monday Suggested That Both Had Scored Around 21 Per Cent in Parliamentary Elections Ukraine Donetsk
The stadium was shelled in 2014(Image: Photomig/EPA/REX/Shutterstock)
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Since the outbreak of the long and bloody war, Shakhtar has continued to play its fixtures in Lviv, at the national stadium in Kyiv, and even abroad in countries like Poland and Germany, for security reasons.
The Donbass Arena once represented the future and brought joy to thousands, even hosting a Beyonce concert. But it is now a harrowing reminder of the impact of geopolitical chaos, demonstrating how war can bleed into and tarnish the beautiful game.