Zabolotny, who was disqualified for doping, signed a contract with the Basta club.

Football player Anton Zabolotny, who was disqualified for six months for doping, became a player of the SKA football club from Rostov-on-Don, owned by rapper Basta (real name Vasily Vakulenko). This was announced on August 7 by the team's press service.

"Officially: Anton Zabolotny is a player of SKA Rostov-on-Don! <...> Once an Army man, an Army man forever! Welcome to SKA Rostov, Zaba!" says the Telegram channel of the Rostov SKA.

The team noted that Zabolotny is a graduate of the CSKA Moscow football school. During his career, he also played for Volgar, Dynamo Bryansk, Ufa, Fakel, Tosno, Zenit, Sochi, CSKA, Khimki. The last club in Zabolotny was traditionally CSKA's main opponent, Spartak Moscow.

In total, the striker played in 434 matches at the professional level and scored 101 goals. As a member of Zenit, Zabolotny became the champion of Russia, and also won the National Cup twice. The striker played 19 matches for the Russian national team and scored two goals.

The terms of Zabolotny's contract with the Rostov football club are not specified.

SKA Rostov-on-Don has been owned by Basta since 2019. The rapper closed the debts of the team, which had previously been excluded from the Russian Second Football League, the fourth strongest division. In 2024, the club lost its professional status and moved to the Media Football League.

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On August 6, Zabolotny announced that he had been suspended from football for six months for violating anti-doping rules. The relevant decision was made at a meeting of the relevant committee. The footballer called the punishment fair, noting that "mistakes and accidents also need to be held accountable."

The analysis of Zabolotny's doping sample on May 3 showed an unfavorable result. It was noted that the striker was temporarily suspended from training and competitions, but since April 30, the restrictive measures have been lifted by the decision of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency.

Later, on July 30, FC Spartak announced that the striker was leaving the club due to the expiration of his contract. During the season with Spartak, he played 16 matches, seven of which came in the winning draw of the Russian Cup for the team.