The Other Chelsea - Eine Geschichte aus Donezk

The East Ukrainian, pro-Russian city of Donetsk lives mainly from the production of coal. While a select few earn a fortune, most of its inhabitants eke out a poor living working in badly maintained mines. Despite this, almost everybody in Donetsk has two things in common: their negative attitude towards the ‘Orange Revolution’, and a passion for the local football club Shakhtar. The Donbas Arena, where football unites the people for 90 minutes, has various different sections. The 55-year-old mineworker Sascha has been a true fan since childhood. He spends his hard-earned wages on trips to away matches. Kolya, a 30-year-old self-made millionaire and budding politician, is drawn to the stadium for other reasons. The convergence of sport, politics and business in the VIP stand offers him ample opportunity to expand his network of contacts. While the football club enjoys glittering success after investment by the billionaire oligarch Rinat Akhmetov, most people in the economically stagnant East Ukraine are left on the sidelines.