Russia have decided to include Shakhtar in their sub-championships

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.