Football in Russia

Last updated

Football in post Soviet Russia
CountryRussia
Governing body RFS [1]
National team(s) Russia
Clubs List of football clubs in Russia
National competitions
Club competitions
International competitions
A typical Soviet stadium in Vladivostok. Fotbalovy zapas.jpg
A typical Soviet stadium in Vladivostok.
Otkrytiye Arena is Spartak Moscow's home ground. It was opened in 2014. Stadium Spartak in Moscow.jpg
Otkrytiye Arena is Spartak Moscow's home ground. It was opened in 2014.

Association football is the most popular sport in Russia, surpassing ice hockey by a wide margin. Men's football is overseen by the Russian Football Union, having the Russian Premier League as the first tier of the Russian football league system, with the Russian Football National League being the second tier. [2] [3] [4] [5]

Contents

On 28 February 2022, due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and in accordance with a recommendation by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), FIFA and UEFA suspended the participation of Russia, including in the Qatar 2022 World Cup. The Russian Football Union unsuccessfully appealed the FIFA and UEFA bans to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which upheld the bans. [6]

Following the break up of the USSR

With the USSR collapsing in 1991, Russia emerged as its successor state, with the Soviet football federation being transformed in the Russian football federation. [7] [8] While the national teams and the clubs used to be linked to state institutions or mass organizations, in 1991 some of them became private enterprises. Just like in many other spheres of business, corrupt and sometimes bloody division of power began. Furthermore, many teams of the erstwhile Soviet Top League, were now divided between the national football associations of the newly independent republics. Many of the top brand names lost their financing from the government and were left to rot, waiting for some forms of sponsorship. Citizens of Russia are interested mostly in the national team that gets to compete in the World Cup and the European Championship, and in the Premier league, where clubs from different cities look to become champions of Russia. There are also competitions considered less important, such as the Russian Cup. Some of the most successful clubs include Spartak Moscow, Lokomotiv Moscow, CSKA Moscow, Zenit St. Petersburg, Dynamo Moscow and FC Torpedo Moscow.[ citation needed ]

Today, football is the most popular in Russia, beating hockey. [2] [3] [4] [5] A very high proportion of men are interested in it to a certain extent (and many children play it regularly) and women also join men when it comes to the national team. The Russian league is rapidly regaining its former strength because of huge sponsorship deals, an influx of finances and a fairly high degree of competitiveness with roughly 5 teams capable of winning the title. Russian top teams are usually sponsored by state-controlled companies. For example, Gazprom sponsors Zenit Saint Petersburg, Lukoil sponsors FC Spartak Moscow, Russian Railways sponsors FC Lokomotiv Moscow etc. Many notable talented foreign players have been and are playing in the Russian league as well as local talented players worthy of a spot in the starting eleven of the best clubs. [9] Foreign players sometimes face a very hostile environment. A problem of racism in Russian football is particularly important. [10] [11]

The Russian national team gained attention when they defeated traditional European powerhouse Netherlands 3–1 in the Euro 2008 quarterfinals before losing to eventual champions Spain. Nevertheless, four players made the Team of the Tournament. Some players such as Andrei Arshavin and Roman Pavlyuchenko earned big-money moves to the English Premier League after impressing at the tournament. [12] Currently, the majority of Russian footballers play in a home league mainly due to the foreign players limits. This causes a significant disbalance in players' salaries with Russian footballers getting more than their foreign counterparts only because of their nationality. [13]

Thus as of 2010 the Russian Premier League was among the best in Eastern Europe, as evidenced by recent victories in the UEFA Cup (CSKA Moscow defeated Sporting CP in the 2005 final and Zenit St. Petersburg earned a victory over Rangers F.C. in the 2008 UEFA Cup in Manchester and also claimed the UEFA Super Cup in a 2–1 win over Manchester United.) [14]

On 28 February 2022, due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and in accordance with a recommendation by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), FIFA and UEFA suspended the participation of Russia, including in the Qatar 2022 World Cup. The Russian Football Union unsuccessfully appealed the FIFA and UEFA bans to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which upheld the bans. [6]

League system

The first level of the Russian league system is the 16-club Premier League. Below are two other professional levels, namely First League and Second League, both managed by the National Football League. The First League consists of 18 clubs, and the Second League has 72 clubs split geographically into Groups 1 to 4 (representing Southern, Western, Central and Eastern parts of Russia) with varying numbers of clubs. Four clubs from the Far East are allocated to Groups 2 to 4. After each season, the top two clubs of the First League replace the bottom two clubs of the Premier League, and champions of each Second League group replace the four bottom clubs of the First League.

The Second League Division B is the lowest level of professional football in Russia. The next level of football is the Amateur Football League (aka Third Division), which is split into ten zones: North-West (Severo-Zapad), Golden Ring (Zolotoe Koltso), Moscow City (Gorod Moskva), Moscow Region (Podmoskovye), Center, South (Yug), Volga Region (Privolzhye), Ural and West Siberia (Ural i Zapadnaya Sibir), Siberia (Sibir), and Far East (Dalniy Vostok). Also there is a Cup competition in each zone. At the end of the season, the zonal champions and cup winners participate in the AFL Finals to determine the AFL Champions and Cup Winners. There is no automatical promotion/relegation between Second League and AFL, though the winners of each Amateur Football League zone are eligible for promotion to the Second League Division B, provided that they have taken part in the AFL Finals. The actual promotion and relegation is subject to meeting Professional Football League requirements.[ citation needed ]

There is no promotion/relegation between the AFL and lower level either, and the composition of AFL zones can change a lot from season to season, as the AFL is basically open to new clubs. At the lower level, there are championships of federal subjects. They are often called the Fourth Division, though these competitions are formally not part of the league system. Nevertheless, some AFL zonal football unions organize tournaments (like Champions League) for the champions of federal subjects which are the members of the respective union. Many federal subject leagues provide a much stronger competition, so clubs often prefer to stay at the 5th level rather than enter the AFL. The competitions at the 4th and 5th level have a spring-autumn format, unlike the autumn-spring professional league format.

LevelLeague/Division(s)
1 Russian Premier League
16 clubs
2 Russian First League
18 clubs
3 Russian Second League Division A
Gold Group
10 clubs
Silver Group
10 clubs
4Russian Second League Division B
Group 1.1
7 clubs
Group 1.2
7 clubs
Group 2
18 clubs
Group 3
18 clubs
Group 4
9 clubs
5 Russian Amateur Football League
North West
8 clubs
Golden Ring
10 clubs
Moscow City
10 clubs
Moscow Region
12 clubs
Center
11 clubs
South
9 clubs
Volga Region
8 clubs
Ural and West Siberia
13 clubs
Siberia
15 clubs
Far East
no championship
6Championships of Federal Subjects
Kaliningrad Region:
Supreme Division (12 clubs)
First Division (12 clubs)
Second Division (7 clubs)

Karelia Republic:
20+ clubs

Komi Republic:
12 clubs

Murmansk Region:
9 clubs

Pskov Region:
17 clubs

St. Petersburg City:
Supreme League (10 clubs)
First League (11 clubs)

St. Petersburg Region:
10 clubs

Arkhangelsk Region, Velikiy Novgorod Region:no league
Ivanovo Region:
Supreme League (10 clubs)
First League (11 clubs)
Second League (11 clubs)

Kirov Region:
10 clubs

Kostroma Region:
8 clubs

Tver Region:
Supreme Division (16 clubs)
First Division (20 clubs)

Vladimir Region:
Class I (13 clubs)
Class II (13 clubs)
Class III (12 clubs)

Vologda Region:
21 clubs

Yaroslavl Region:
9 clubs
Moscow City:
Division B (13 clubs)
Moscow Region:
Division B (27 clubs)
Division C (32 clubs)
Belgorod Region:
Championship (9 clubs)
Premiership (21 clubs)

Bryansk Region:
Division 1 (16 clubs)
Division 2 (13 clubs)
Division 3 (31 clubs)

Kaluga Region:
Championship (10 clubs)
Premiership Class I (15 clubs)
Premiership Class II (6 clubs)

Kursk Region:
Championship (10 clubs)
Premiership (10 clubs)

Lipetsk Region:
Championship (11 clubs)
Premiership (11 clubs)

Oryol Region:
Championship (8 clubs)
Countryside Premiership (11 clubs)

Ryazan Region:
15 clubs

Smolensk Region:
Championship (8 clubs)
Premiership (9 clubs)

Tambov Region:
Class I (8 clubs)
Class II (24 clubs)

Tula Region:
17 clubs

Volgograd Region:
18 clubs

Voronezh Region:
Championship (11 clubs)
Prosianoi Memorial (26 clubs)
Adyghea Republic:
6 clubs

Astrakhan Region:
Supreme League (9 clubs)
First League (13 clubs)

Chechen Republic:
Championship (11 clubs)
Premiership (28 clubs)

Dagestan Republic:
12 clubs

Ingushetia Republic:
17 clubs

Kabardino-Balkar Republic:
Supreme Division (14 clubs)
First Division (14 clubs)

Kalmykia Republic:
10 clubs

Karachay-Cherkes Republic:
6 clubs

Krasnodar Territory:
Supreme League (10 clubs)
First League (40 clubs)

North Ossetia-Alania Republic:
Supreme Division (14 clubs)
First Division (10 clubs)

Rostov-on-Don Region:
Supreme League (13 clubs)
First League (36 clubs)
Second League (22 clubs)

Stavropol Territory:
Class I (10 clubs)
Class II (8 clubs)
Chuvashia Republic:
24 clubs

Mariy El Region:
Supreme League (8 clubs)
First League (9 clubs)

Mordovia Republic:
Championship (10 clubs)
Mordovian Football League (18 clubs)

Nizhniy Novgorod Region:
18 clubs

Penza Region:
Supreme League (9 clubs)
First League (6 clubs)

Samara Region:
Championship (8 clubs)
Countryside Supreme League (12 clubs)
Countryside First League (11 clubs)

Saratov Region:
8 clubs

Tatarstan Republic:
Supreme League (13 clubs)
First League (13 clubs)
Second League (8 clubs)

Udmurt Republic:
8 clubs

Ulyanovsk Region:
Championship (8 clubs)
Premiership (14 clubs)
Bashkortostan Republic:
Championship (10 clubs)
First League (8 clubs)
Second League (8 clubs)

Chelyabinsk Region:
14 clubs

Kurgan Region:
14 clubs

Omsk Region:
Class I (7 clubs)
Class II (8 clubs)

Orenburg Region:
Class I (6 clubs)
Class II (8 clubs)

Perm Territory:
Division 1 (11 clubs)
Division 2 (15 clubs)

Tyumen Region:
First League (8 clubs)
Second League (9 clubs)

Yekaterinburg Region:
Class I (11 clubs)
Class II (16 clubs)
Class III (14 clubs)
Altay Territory:
First League (8 clubs)
Second League (24 clubs)

Buryatia Republic:
9 clubs

Irkutsk Region:
7 clubs

Khakassia Republic:
9 clubs

Kemerovo Region:
14 clubs

Krasnoyarsk Territory:
6 clubs

Novosibirsk Region:
15 clubs

Tomsk Region:
7 clubs

Altay Republic, Tyva Republic, Zabaykalye Territory:no league
Jewish Autonomous Region:
3+ clubs

Primorye Territory:
12 clubs

Sakhalin Region:
9 clubs

Sakha-Yakutia Republic:
8 clubs

Amur Region, Kamchatka Territory, Khabarovsk Territory, Magadan Region:no league

National team

The national teams prior were the Soviet Union national football team, which was a football world power, [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] and the transitional CIS national football team, which took part in the Euro 1992. Since the collapse of Soviet Union the Russia national team has had success in Euro 2008 before it took ten years to repeat this feat, this time as host of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Russian team was eliminated in the group stage of the 1994 World Cup, 2002 World Cup, 2014 World Cup, Euro 1992 (as CIS), Euro 1996, Euro 2004, Euro 2012, Euro 2016 and Euro 2020. Russia didn't qualify for the major tournaments on four occasions: in 1998, 2000, 2006 and 2010. Russian team is currently ranked 35th in the FIFA World Ranking. [21]

Hosting the World Cup

On December 2, 2010, Russia was awarded the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Russia hosted the tournament for the first time, becoming the largest country to host the World Cup, a title held by the United States since 1994. [22] [23] [24]

Cup competitions

The main cup competition in Russia is the Russian Cup. Only professional clubs take part in it.[ citation needed ]

There is also an Amateur Football League Cup, a competition for the Amateur Football League clubs. The winners of this cup are eligible for promotion to the Second Division.[ citation needed ] Cups of federal subjects are also played.[ citation needed ]

European competitions

The Russian League was in 2013 regarded as the 6th strongest league in Europe, based on the UEFA coefficient. [25] Russian club sides constantly compete in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League. Over the last years Russian clubs have won three major European trophies. These are 2004–05 UEFA Cup won by CSKA Moscow, 2007–08 UEFA Cup and 2008 UEFA Super Cup won by Zenit St. Petersburg.[ citation needed ]

Women's football

Women's football is not as popular in Russia as men's football, although it has increased in popularity in the 2000s. [26]

Football stadiums in Russia

Stadiums with a capacity of 40,000 or higher are included. The Grand Sports Arena of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex is the largest stadium in Russia, followed by the Gazprom Arena, the home of FC Zenit. On 24 May 2023, Zenit became the first Russian sports club with 10 million followers on social media. [27]

#ImageStadiumCapacityCityHome team(s)InauguratedRenovated
1 Moscow-Exterior of Luzhniki Stadium (2).jpg Luzhniki Stadium 81,000 [28]
Coat of arms of Moscow.svg
Moscow
Russia national football team,
1980 Summer Olympics and 2018 World Cup
19561996–1997, 2001–2004, 2013–2017
2 RUS-2016-Aerial-SPB-Krestovsky Stadium 01.jpg Gazprom Arena 67,000
Coat of Arms of Saint Petersburg (2003).svg
Saint Petersburg
FC Zenit Saint Petersburg,
2017 Confederations Cup, 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020
2017
3 FWC 2018 - Group D - NGA v ISL - Stadium Panorama.jpg Volgograd Arena 45,568
Coat of arms of Volgograd city.svg
Volgograd
FC Rotor Volgograd,
2018 World Cup
2018
4 RubinKazanNewStadium.png Ak Bars Arena 45,379
Coat of Arms of Kazan (Tatarstan).svg
Kazan
FC Rubin Kazan,
2017 Confederations Cup and 2018 World Cup
2013
5 Stadium Spartak in Moscow.jpg Otkrytie Arena 45,360
Coat of arms of Moscow.svg
Moscow
FC Spartak Moscow,
2017 Confederations Cup and 2018 World Cup
2014
6 Rostov Arena2018.jpg Rostov Arena 45,000
Coat of Arms of Rostov-on-Don.svg
Rostov-on-Don
FC Rostov,
2018 World Cup
2018
7 Krylya Fakel test 1.jpg Cosmos Arena 44,918
Coat of Arms of Samara (Samara oblast).png
Samara
FC Krylya Sovetov,
2018 World Cup
2018
8 Nizhny Novgorod Stadium (March 2018).jpg Strelka Stadium 44,899
Coat of Arms of Nizhny Novgorod.svg
Nizhny Novgorod
FC Nizhny Novgorod,
2018 World Cup
2018
9 Match at Mordovia Arena stadium.jpg Mordovia Arena 44,442
Coat of Arms of Saransk.svg
Saransk
FC Mordovia Saransk,
2018 World Cup
2018
10 Stadion Fisht.JPG Fisht Olympic Stadium 40,000
Coat of Arms of Sochi (Krasnodar krai).svg
Sochi
PFC Sochi
2014 Winter Olympics, 2017 Confederations Cup and 2018 World Cup
2013

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dick Advocaat</span> Dutch footballer and manager (born 1947)

Dirk Nicolaas "Dick" Advocaat is a Dutch former football player and coach. He is the current manager of the Curaçao national football team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FC Zenit Saint Petersburg</span> Associated football club in Saint Petersburg, Russia

Football Club Zenit, also known as Zenit Saint Petersburg or simply Zenit, is a Russian professional football club based in Saint Petersburg. Founded in 1925, the club plays in the Russian Premier League. Zenit are the reigning champions of the Russian Premier League. Previously they won the 2007, 2010, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22 and the 2022–23 seasons of the Russian Premier League, as well as the 2007–08 UEFA Cup and the 2008 UEFA Super Cup. The club is owned and sponsored by the Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom. The team plays its home matches at the Gazprom Arena. In March 2022, the club was expelled from all European and international club competitions by FIFA and the UEFA due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In addition, the European Club Association suspended the team. On 24 May 2023, Zenit became the first Russian sports club with 10 million followers on social media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Igor Akinfeev</span> Russian footballer (born 1986)

Igor Vladimirovich Akinfeev is a Russian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for and captains Russian Premier League club CSKA Moscow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aleksandr Kerzhakov</span> Russian footballer and manager

Aleksandr Anatolyevich Kerzhakov is a Russian football manager and former professional football player who played as a striker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sergei Semak</span> Russian football manager (born 1976)

Sergei Bogdanovich Semak is a Russian football manager and a former international midfielder who manages Russian Premier League side Zenit Saint Petersburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sergei Ignashevich</span> Russian football manager (born 1979)

Sergei Nikolayevich Ignashevich is a Russian professional football coach and a former player who played as central defender.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yuri Zhirkov</span> Russian footballer (born 1983)

Yuri Valentinovich Zhirkov is a Russian former footballer who played as a left-back and as a left-winger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Igor Denisov</span> Russian footballer (born 1984)

Igor Vladimirovich Denisov is a Russian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Axel Witsel</span> Belgian footballer (born 1989)

Axel Laurent Angel Lambert Witsel is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or centre-back for La Liga club Atlético Madrid and the Belgium national team. He originally also played in more offensive roles such as central or attacking midfielder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aleksei Ionov</span> Russian footballer (born 1989)

Aleksei Sergeyevich Ionov is a Russian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Ural Yekaterinburg. He can play on the left flank or the right.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artem Dzyuba</span> Russian footballer (born 1988)

ArtemSergeyevich Dzyuba is a Russian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Russian Premier League club Akron Tolyatti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vladimir Granat</span> Russian footballer (born 1987)

Vladimir Vasilyevich Granat is a Russian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Krasnoye Znamya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Igor Smolnikov</span> Russian footballer (born 1988)

Igor Aleksandrovich Smolnikov is a Russian former football player who played as a right-back.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aleksandr Kokorin</span> Russian footballer (born 1991)

Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Kokorin is a Russian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Cypriot First Division club Aris Limassol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mário Fernandes</span> Brazilian-born Russian footballer (born 1990)

Mário Figueira Fernandes is a professional footballer who plays as a right-back. Born in Brazil, he played for the Russia national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrey Lunyov</span> Russian footballer (born 1991)

Andrey Yevgenyevich Lunyov is a Russian professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Dynamo Moscow and the Russia national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anton Zabolotny</span> Russian footballer (born 1991)

Anton Konstantinovich Zabolotny is a Russian professional football player who plays as a striker for Khimki.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aleksei Miranchuk</span> Russian footballer (born 1995)

Aleksei Andreyevich Miranchuk is a Russian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or striker for Major League Soccer club Atlanta United and the Russia national team.

Ilya Yuryevich Leonov is a retired Russian beach soccer and former futsal player. From 2010 to 2018, he played for Lokomotiv Moscow, where for a time he served both as player and coach. After his retirement as a player he is coaching the Russia women's national beach soccer team, winning with them two Euro Beach Soccer Cups in a row, and continues coaching Lokomotiv Moscow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yuri Krasheninnikov</span> Russian beach soccer player

Yuri Yuryevich "Krash" Krasheninnikov is a Russian beach soccer player currently active as defender. He is Merited Master of Sports of Russia.

References

  1. Dunmore, Tom (16 September 2011). Historical Dictionary of Soccer. Scarecrow Press. ISBN   9780810871885. Archived from the original on 23 February 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2017 via Google Books.
  2. 1 2 "Самые популярные виды спорта в России, рейтинг ТОП 10". 7 April 2017. Archived from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Футбол – самый популярный вид спорта в России". 15 October 2007. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  4. 1 2 ""Яндекс" назвал самые популярные виды спорта в России - ПОЛИТ.РУ". polit.ru. Archived from the original on 3 April 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  5. 1 2 "Названы самые популярные виды спорта у детей в России". 19 July 2017. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  6. 1 2 "Russia World Cup ban appeal rejected by CAS". ESPN. 18 March 2022. Archived from the original on 19 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  7. Victor; Louis, Jennifer (22 October 2013). Sport in the Soviet Union. Elsevier. ISBN   9781483155913. Archived from the original on 23 February 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2017 via Google Books.
  8. "Football in Russia: No silver bullet". The Economist. The Economist Newspaper Limited. 2013-03-15. Archived from the original on 2014-01-03. Retrieved 2013-11-19.
  9. Nsehe, Mfonobong (2011-08-12), "Soccer Star Samuel Eto'o To Earn $25 Million With Russian Team", Forbes, archived from the original on 2013-06-03, retrieved 2013-11-19
  10. "Russia cracks down on hooligans". Fox Sports. Fox Sports Australia Pty Limited. 2013-06-22. Archived from the original on 2023-02-23. Retrieved 2013-11-19.
  11. Murphy, Chris (2013-10-25). "World Cup: Russian racism furore is the latest headache for FIFA". CNN. Cable News Network. Archived from the original on 2013-11-03. Retrieved 2013-11-19.
  12. Hughes, Bob (2012-07-17). "Challenges Aplenty for Russia's New Soccer Coach". The New York Times. London. Archived from the original on 2018-12-11. Retrieved 2013-11-19.
  13. "Naturalisation and Foreign Player Limits in Russian Football - Russian Football News". 7 June 2017. Archived from the original on 19 December 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  14. Marcotti, Gabriele (2010-11-15). "Russia: Soccer's Sleeping Giant". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Archived from the original on 2015-04-06. Retrieved 2013-11-19.
  15. "Russia: Soviet victories, racism and miracles". Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  16. "Soviet Soccer and Outstanding Soccer Teams" (PDF). CIA. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 24, 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  17. Witzig, Richard (22 November 2017). The Global Art of Soccer. CusiBoy Publishing. ISBN   9780977668809. Archived from the original on 23 February 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2017 via Google Books.
  18. Stark, Harrison (28 May 2014). "The USSR Was a Soccer Powerhouse. Why Isn't Russia?". Slate. Archived from the original on 18 December 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2017 via Slate.
  19. "Euro 1988: Valery Lobanovsky's last stand for Soviet Union". BBC Sport. 12 May 2012. Archived from the original on 4 August 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  20. "The golden ages of the Soviet national team". 26 July 2017. Archived from the original on 25 September 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  21. FIFA.com. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking - Ranking Table". FIFA.com. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  22. "World Cup 2018 host Russia has a serious soccer hooligan problem". news.com.au. News Limited. 2013-10-31. Archived from the original on 2013-11-14. Retrieved 2013-11-19.
  23. Williams, Carol J. (2013-08-14). "Soccer World Cup 2018 host is asked to explain anti-gay law". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2014-01-03. Retrieved 2013-11-19.
  24. Bird, Liviu (2013-10-31). "Russia's racism stems from lack of education but can be reversed, experts say". NBC Sports: ProSoccerTalk. NBC Sports. Archived from the original on 2013-11-02. Retrieved 2013-11-19.
  25. "UEFA-Ranglisten". UEFA.comL Live-Ergebnisse (in German). UEFA. Archived from the original on 2013-11-20. Retrieved 2013-11-19.
  26. Worgo, Tom (2013-07-09). "McDonogh grad braves cold to play pro soccer in Russia". The Baltimore Sun. Tribune Company. Archived from the original on 2013-10-22. Retrieved 2013-11-19.
  27. "Zenit hit 10 million followers across our social networks".
  28. luzhniki.ru Archived 2008-12-05 at the Wayback Machine