Defender Vanche Shikov, who has a contract with Volyn until the summer of 2014, has been relegated to train with the U19 team following a contract dispute.

Ukrainian website “football.ua” reported yesterday that Vanche Shikov had not made the trip with Volyn for their training camp in Turkey.  The reason given was that Shikov and Volyn can not agree terms on a new contract.  “Football.ua” also conducted an interview with Shikov who talked about his current situation with Volyn.

Shikov’s contract with Volyn expires this summer, and the Ukrainian club has given Vanche an ultimatum: sign a new contract or be relegated to train with the U19 team.  Obviously, Volyn does not want to lose Shikov for free in the summer so they are pressuring him to sign a new deal.  Vanche and his agent are not opposed to extending his contract, but the two sides can’t agree on financial terms.

In the interview with “football.ua,” Vanche said the following when asked about him still being in Ukraine while his teammates are in Turkey for their camp, “Yes, it’s true.  Everything is in order concerning my health.  I’m holding talks with the club to sign a new contract.  I have made my requirements known, but the club does not agree with them.  Vitaliy Kvartsyanyi (Volyn manager) said that while I do not sign a new contract, I will train with the U19 team.”

Vanche stated that he feels he deserves an improved contract as he has been loyal over the past 3 years and remained with Volyn even when the club was facing financial difficulties earlier in his tenure with the club.  Earlier this season, Shikov was also named club captain by Kvartsyanyi, but his captaincy will now be stripped given the current contract dispute.

When asked about his next steps, Shikov said, “Honestly, I don’t know.  I have a contract until the summer, so if we can’t agree on a new deal, I may have to train with the U19 team the rest of the way.”