Shakhtar shift Europa League match against Celta to Kharkiv

KIEV ( Reuters) - FC Shakhtar will be hosting next month's Europa League round of 32 game against Celta in the city of Kharkiv, some 300 kilometers away from their troubled hometown of Donetsk.

"The decision is taken and it is final," Kharkiv city governor Yuliya Svitlychna posted on Facebook.

"Europa league games will be held in our city. I hope there will be games, not just one game. We are also doing everything we can to earn the right host Ukraine–Turkey World Cup qualifier in Khrakiv," Svitlychna added.

Shakhtar have been holding their home international games in Lviv, in the West of Ukraine, since pro-Russian fighters raised an insurrection in eastern Ukraine, including their hometown Donetsk, in 2014.

The return game is scheduled on Feb. 23.

(Reporting by Igor Nitsak; editing by Amlan Chakraborty)