Football news

So-called "Russian footballers" have been left without "winter" red balls due to the withdrawal of the main sports brands, local propagandists report, citing official RPL information.

An explanation had to be given after participants in the match between Spartak and Baltika in Kaliningrad were forced to play in the snow with a standardised ball that was not visible on the TV broadcast.

The league's press office explained that the clubs had voted to use balls from Nike, which had been purchased through parallel (without the manufacturer's consent) imports. But Nike does not produce red balls for free sale and makes them only to order.

Before the game against Wales, Armenia's head coach Alexander Petrakov answered journalists' questions about the "non-call" of Khoren Bayramyan from Russian side Rostov at a pre-match press conference.

- "I did call him up. He came to the first training camp, said he felt uncomfortable and couldn't play, and then left the team. Three days later, he played 90 minutes for Rostov. Then he came to the second training camp and allegedly got injured again. We scheduled an MRI scan for the morning, but he said he didn't even want to have it done. He wanted to leave the national team and booked a ticket for the first flight to Rostov. I wished him good luck in life," Petrakov said.

In return, Bayramyan accused Petrakov of lying and hypocrisy. However, the fans of the Armenian national team are on the side of the head coach.

A Twitter user with the nickname Football Kentron writes: "For years, Bayramyan rejected invitations from the Armenian national team, waiting for a call-up to the Russian national team. Only at the age of 28 did he agree to a backup with Armenia."

It will be recalled that the Armenian national team still has a chance of qualifying for Euro 2024, but for this, Petrakov's team needs to beat the national teams of Wales and Croatia.

Former Russian national team player Andrei Arshavin, who now serves as Zenit's deputy general director, has spoken out about the matches of the terrorist state's "national" under-team.

- I am not interested in watching matches from a sporting point of view - and it doesn't matter who we play against. I have no interest from a sporting point of view. But don't get me wrong. I am asked, and in this case I express my personal opinion," Arshavin told local propagandists.

CSKA Moscow midfielder Maxim Mukhin recently injured the cruciate ligament of his knee.

For some reason, the player and the club decided to entrust the treatment of the valuable organ not to the "best in the world" Russian medicine, but to the enemy German aesthetics. But that was not the case. The athlete of the team that calls itself the Army team was denied a German visa. Everyone in CSKA is outraged, and they believe that a terrible mistake has been made, which was told to local propagandists by Vladimir Fedotov, the coach of the Army men.

The Ukrainian Football Association has sent an official letter to UEFA asking it to take decisive measures regarding the possible integration of football clubs from the occupied territories of Ukraine into the tournaments of the aggressor country.

"We are forced to address once again the issue on which we have repeatedly communicated with you over the past year, namely the illegal actions of the Russian terrorist state and the Russian Federation against the Ukrainian state and football. In this case, it is about the attempts to integrate football clubs from the temporarily occupied regions of Ukraine into the Russian national championships, which is currently moving forward without any obstacles or restrictions. Despite the legal aspect, according to which UEFA granted the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea a special status in 2014, which should ensure its protection from Russia's aggressive behaviour.

Recently, Russian Deputy Sports Minister Odes Baisultanov said that football clubs from the occupied territories of Ukraine should be included in Russian championships, noting that the exclusion of Crimean clubs from the second division of the Russian championship in 2014, in accordance with UEFA's requirements, was a mistake, and Russia "should not be concerned about the position of UEFA and FIFA.

We are more than concerned about the way the situation is developing and ask UEFA to pay special attention and take decisive action regarding the above violation, lawlessness and extreme disrespect for the entire football family," the UAF letter reads.

The so-called general secretary of the RFU, Maxim Mitrofanov, happily reported that money from UEFA continues to flow regularly to the sub-sanctioned terrorist state.

- "We receive money from UEFA under the Hat-trick programme, which will still be in place from 2024 to 2028. We report annually. There is a small fixed part, there is a part for fulfilment of initiatives, there is an investment part. We receive all three parts. This is a total programme, it includes about €15 million, respectively €5 million every year. Of course, the RFU has to pay dues, this is the membership fee, it is 250 Swiss francs a year," the official cheerfully explained to local propagandists.

Russian Deputy Sports Minister Odes Baisultanov made some loud statements about local under-football.

The official promised to include in the local football championship... Shakhtar Donetsk, which, according to him, is already "considered a full-fledged Russian team". Also from 2024, Baisultanov promised to start sawing money for the "reconstruction" of the Donbass Arena. It is noteworthy that the official considers it "inexpedient to start this process before 2024 due to the current conditions".

And the cherry on the cake. Obviously, already anticipating the reaction of the civilised world to such actions, Baisultanov said: "We are not a branch of UEFA, FIFA or anyone else. This is our territory, our country, these are Russian citizens. There will be problems, whether they include us somewhere or not - I don't care.

Ukrainian footballer of Cork City, Andriy Kravchuk, has spoken about his feelings at the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

- I was asleep when my mum called me. Her first words were, "Russia is bombing us". I couldn't believe what I was hearing - about bombing, about 100,000 soldiers marching on Kiev.

When I was a child, Russia and Ukraine were like brothers. Many Russians and Ukrainians married each other. People from both countries lived next to each other. I tried to understand how Russia could start a war in the 21st century. I can't find words to describe it yet. I immediately realised that I couldn't stay at Torpedo Moscow.

We had the first world war, the second world war, and now the third. So many of our cities - Bakhmut, Mariupol and others - have been destroyed. 500,000 people have been killed or injured. I am very upset. I worry about my family all the time. They are safe now, but there are times when I call home and hear the sounds of drone attacks in the background," Kravchuk told The Athletic.

UEFA's official website has published the official decision of the union's Executive Committee on the return of some Russian teams to European competitions and its "motivational part".

Here is the text in full.

"UEFA was the first sports organisation to react to the war in Ukraine and took decisive action in February 2022 by suspending all Russian teams from its tournaments, cancelling events planned in Russia such as the UEFA Champions League final in St Petersburg and the UEFA Super Cup in Kazan, and cancelling its sponsorship contract with Gazprom.

At the same time, UEFA recognises that children should not be punished for actions for which adults are solely responsible and firmly believes that football should never abandon the message of peace and hope. In particular, it is distressing that an entire generation of underage players has been denied the right to participate in international football competitions due to the ongoing conflict. The UEFA Executive Committee has therefore decided to return Russian teams consisting of underage players to participation in UEFA tournaments this season. The Executive Committee has therefore asked the UEFA administration to propose a technical solution that would allow the reinstatement of Russian U-17 teams (both girls and boys) even if the draw has already taken place. All matches of Russian teams must be played without the country's flag, anthem, national playing uniforms and not on Russian territory.

At the same time, the executive committee reiterated its condemnation of Russia's illegal war and confirmed that the suspension of all other Russian teams (clubs and national teams) will remain in force until the conflict is over.

UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said: "The continued disqualification of adult Russian teams reflects UEFA's commitment to a stance against violence and aggression. UEFA intends to maintain this stance until the war ends and peace is restored. However, by banning children from our tournaments, we not only fail to recognise and support their fundamental right to all-round development, but also directly discriminate against them. By giving children the opportunity to play and compete with their peers from across Europe, we are investing in, we hope, brighter and more capable future generations and a better tomorrow."

Sky News journalist Robert (Rob) Harris reported on the decision UEFA have just made.

"UEFA is relaxing a blanket ban on Russian teams taking part in its competitions after 18 months. Russian U-17 teams are allowed to return - playing without the Russian uniform and anthem and on neutral pitches.

In relaxing the ban, UEFA says its Executive Committee "once again condemns Russia's illegal war and confirms that the disqualification of all other Russian teams (clubs and national teams) will remain in force until the end of the conflict in Ukraine," the source tweeted.

Former Russian footballer, video blogger and owner of the Cypriot club Krasava Yevgeny Savin has been criminally prosecuted in Russia.

Savin in one of his interviews "spoke negatively about the Russian army, condemned its actions", the swamp propagandists report. Yevgeny now faces up to five years in prison, if, of course, he returns to Russia.

Three days before the first match of the Conference League qualification play-off round between Dynamo Kyiv and Besiktas Istanbul, the Turks announced a transfer.

"Black and Whites" signed a four-year contract with Kazakh midfielder of CSKA Moscow Baktiyor Zainutdinov. According to Transfermarkt, 4.5 million euros have been transferred to the budget of the terrorist army, plus the murderers and rapists will receive, if the media are to be believed, 15 per cent of the player's next sale.