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      in Soccer

      Football international joins Putin’s hooligan unit in Ukraine as battalion led by ultra dubbed The Spaniard boosts ranks

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      A FORMER football star has joined an army unit of Russian hooligans on the frontline in Ukraine.It comes as the battalion – led by an ultra dubbed The Spaniard – steps up recruitment in a desperate bid to boost ranks as Russian invaders continue to meet stiff Ukrainian resistance.
      Russia is stepping up recruitment of football hooligans to join the battalionCredit: East2West
      Former Russian international footballer Andrey Solomatin, right, has been recruitedCredit: East2West
      The unit is led by Stanislav Orlov, dubbed The SpaniardCredit: East2West
      The brigade, named Espanola, is filled with thugs from the terraces and has now been given special status among armed forces backing Vladimir Putin.
      Hooligans were recruited too, but now the unit is classed as a separate private military company, with the go-ahead to expand recruitment.
      The ultras are urged: “Get into the coolest adventures of your life with a real chance to come back alive from these scrapes.”
      They are promised a “decent reward” for turning their violent instincts on Ukraine.
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      Former Russian international footballer Andrey Solomatin, 47, has signed up.
      He played for Moscow clubs CSKA and Lokomotiv.
      Stanislav Orlov, commander of Española private military company, said: “We were volunteers, then part of the DPR [Donetsk People’s Republic] forces.
      “Recently we managed to get separate status. So now we do not belong to any battalions or divisions.”
      Most read in Football
      Orlov, whose call sign is “Spaniard”, said they had been given approval to create a separate battalion, Espanola.
      The hooligans’ battalion is 550 strong, including 100 operators of kamikaze drones used to attack Ukraine, he said.
      The fighters say they are being equipped by football supporters from across Russia.
      Orlov said: “There are a huge number of them.
      “All over Russia, in fact – in different cities there are different football teams.
      “We tell them what we need [and they provide it].”
      Five years ago, Putin’s regime desperately tried to crackdown on Russian hooligans and ultras – using an FSB crackdown to stop them ruining the FIFA World Cup, which Putin hosted.
      In 2016, Russian hooligans were in pitch battles with English fans at the UEFA Euro tournament in France.
      Now they are formalised as an armed force, and seen as heroes.
      Espanola is currently recruiting “stormtroopers”, scout-saboteurs, snipers, drone operators, electronic warfare and air defence operators, portable ground reconnaissance station operators, anti-tank guided missile operators, anti aircraft specialists, communications specialists, mechanic-drivers, and medics.
      Would-be fighters are told they will “take a quick but deep course of study in all directions with a real opportunity – or rather the need – to become a ‘universal soldier’.”
      They will “become a real military man and benefit the Motherland without delay”.
      And the stadium fighters will “get access and learn how to work with the most modern weapons, equipment and technologies”.
      Sniper detachments “are provided with all the most advanced technologies — this applies to transport, equipment, and of course [guns].”
      Recruits are told they “may not be hooligans, but they should be close to us in spirit and comply with the main principles of Española in life”.
      Recruitment sessions have been held in Moscow and St Petersburg, as well as other cities.
      They boast recruits from the hooligan armies of clubs like CSKA, Zenit, Spartak, Torpedo and Lokomotiv and the notorious Orel Butchers.
      Several are known to have died so far in the war, including CSKA Moscow fan Maxim Shmanin, 44.
      Read More on The Sun
      It comes as Moscow attempts to enlist women prisoners and kids in a desperate war effort.
      Putin has already deployed convicted murderers and rapists in his desire to wipe the state of Ukraine off the map. 
      Solomatin, 47, played for Moscow clubs CSKA and LokomotivCredit: East2West
      The hooligans’ battalion is 550 strongCredit: East2West
      Recruitment sessions have been held in Moscow and St PetersburgCredit: East2West
      The brigade, named Espanola, is filled with thugs from the terracesCredit: East2West More

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      in Soccer

      Vladimir Putin gives Russian citizenship to two Brazilian footballers including ex-Barcelona star

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      VLADIMIR PUTIN has given two Brazilian football stars Russian citizenship.Ex-Barcelona winger Malcom, who interested Arsenal and Tottenham, plus midfielder Claudinho are key men for Russian top-flight leaders Zenit.
      Malcom was tipped as a future Brazil hero when he joined Barcelona in 2018 but the Zenit player has now accepted Russian citizenshipCredit: Getty
      Claudinho, seen tangling with Chelsea’s Reece James in the Champions League in December 2021, can also now get a Russian passportCredit: Getty
      It’s claimed both former Brazil under-23 internationals wanted their new status for tax reasons.
      But Zenit were quick to celebrate after the pair were amongst 38 foreigners granted citizenship by a special decree from Russian president Putin on Friday.
      The Saint Petersburg club stated: “Everyone at Zenit congratulates Malcom and Claudinho on becoming citizens of Russia. 
      “We wish them the best of luck and many more victories with the blue-white-sky blues!”
      READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
      Putin’s decision might be seen as a propaganda move, exactly a year after he launched his country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
      And Dmitry Khomukha, the ex-head coach of the Russian youth team, suggested the two players were motivated only by money.
      Khomukha, who won 15 caps for Turkmenistan, is now boss of Russian third-tier club FC Kaluga.
      Just before the duo’s citizenship was granted, Sport24 quoted the 53-year-old as saying: “I have a negative attitude towards the naturalization of football players.
      Most read in Football
      “Especially in the current situation that the national team does not participate in the tournaments and the foreign transfer has nothing to do with football.
      “Here the monetary interests of the players themselves play a role. Income tax will be reduced to 15 per cent, but now they pay much more – this is the main reason.”
      Former Bordeaux hero Malcom, 25, was linked with Premier League clubs before joining Zenit from Barca in 2019.
      And Claudinho, 26, switched from Brazilian top-flight team Red Bull Bragantino to Zenit two years ago.
      Vladimir Putin gave Russian citizenship to 38 people by decreeCredit: AFP More

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      in Soccer

      Inside tragic stadium where England last played France that’s now shelled and gutted in the middle of a warzone

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      THE stadium where England last played France in a competitive match just 10 years ago is today in a miserable state, struck by shelling and in the middle of a warzone.Ukraine’s Donbass Arena was the site of four games during the Euro 2012 tournament, but today, it is essentially abandoned, caught up in Russia’s brutal invasion.
      The stadium was shelled in 2014Credit: Twitter/FCShakhtar_eng
      That year, the stadium was caught up in fighting with Russian-backed separatists
      It suffered severe shelling when Russian-backed forces raised the flag of the DPR
      Earlier this year, Russian state media claimed the stadium had been shelled again
      It shared footage purportedly showing shell craters outside the arena
      The stadium hosted five games at Euro 2012Credit: PA:Press Association
      It hosted England’s last competitive game with France, a 1-1 draw on June 11, 2012, during the group stage.
      The Three Lions took the lead thanks to a header from Joleon Lescott but were pegged back before halftime thanks to a fine finish from his then-Manchester City teammate Samir Nasri.
      And the stadium would also be the sight of another England match eight days later when a single Wayne Rooney goal helped his team to a nervy 1-0 win over hosts Ukraine.
      In total, the stadium would be used for five games during the tournament, the final time being the semi-final between Portugal and eventual-winners Spain.
      READ MORE WORLD CUP NEWS
      England face France in the first competitive game between the two sides in a decade on Saturday, in the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Qatar.
      Completed in 2009, the Donbass Arena was one of eight venues used for Euro 2012, which was jointly hosted by Ukraine and Poland.
      With a capacity of just over 52,000, it was the third-largest stadium in the tournament.
      It was one of five newly-built stadiums used, costing a total of $400million (£329m in today’s money).
      Most read in The Sun
      Top firm ArupSport, who also designed Manchester City’s Etihad Arena and Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena were brought in to create the complex.
      With its soaring roof illuminated at night, its design was compared to a flying saucer.
      The stadium was also home to local club Shakhtar Donetsk, who won the Europa League in 2009 just months before moving into their new stadium.
      Fulham were the first UK team to play at the stadium when they earned a 1-1 draw in the Europa League on February 25, 2010, en-route to the final later that year.

      Arsenal were beaten 2-1 at the stadium in a Champions League clash on November 3, 2010, and the team would claim another Premier League scalp in October 2012 when they beat Chelsea 2-1.
      The last English side to play at the Donbass Arena was Manchester United, who drew 1-1 on October 2, 2013, in the Champions League.
      As well as football, the stadium was used as a concert venue, hosting Beyonce’s first-ever Ukraine concert for its grand opening in 2009.
      As a result of shelling, there are numerous damages of the northwestern facade of the stadiumShakhtar Donetsk
      But the stadium was dramatically shut in 2014 after fighting broke out between Russian-backed forces and Ukraine in the east of the country.
      In August 2014, less than a year after Man Utd played there, the stadium was shelled in the war, damaging its outside.
      Pictures and videos showed heavy damage to the turnstiles and entrances to the arena.
      The football club’s official Twitter revealed that the stadium was hit by two explosions in the early hours of the morning.
      “On 23 August, at 6:00, two powerful explosions occurred at Donbass Arena,” it said.
      “As a result of shelling, there are numerous damages of the northwestern facade of the stadium, communications, equipment and detached building of the energy centre, which is located in the northern part of the Donbass Arena park.
      “There are no casualties among the stadium staff.”
      By this point, the club had already moved out of its home, relocating more than 600 miles west to Lviv, far from the front line.
      Fighting between Ukraine and Russian-backed separatists has continued on and off ever since, making it unsafe for Shakhtar to return.
      In 2018, the Russian state media agency DAN claimed the turf at the arena had been repaired, quoting the stadium’s technical director Valery Gavrilov at the time.
      He also said the official Shakhtar Donetsk museum was being reopened.
      With Russia launching an all-out invasion of Ukraine in February this year, the city of Donetsk has seen an upsurge in shelling.
      In March, Russian state TV channel Rossiya-1 claimed that the Donbass Arena had been shelled by Ukrainian forces.
      The channel claimed without evidence that “dozens of people were injured” in the shelling, and that Kyiv’s forces were “targeting civilian objects” such as the stadium.
      It shared footage showing shell craters just metres from the stadium, as well as a number of shattered windows on its outside.
      The Donbass Arena has not hosted a game since 2014, when Shakhtar defeated Illichivets Mariupol 3-1 to secure their fifth straight league title, but barely 18,000 turned up due to the looming conflict.
      Two days later the flag of the Donetsk People’s Republic was illegally raised over the city and Ukrainian forces responded with shelling.
      Read More on The Sun
      Read More on The Sun
      It isn’t known when if ever the stadium will be used again, with Donetsk being declared part of Russia by Vladimir Putin in September.
      For now, the venue remains an eerie reminder of the fragility of peace in Europe.
      The Donbass Arena in eastern Ukraine has been unused for eight yearsCredit: AFP
      The stadium hosted England’s last competitive match with France at Euro 2012Credit: Getty More

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      in Boxing

      Oleksandr Usyk ‘opens door to fight against Alexander Povetkin in a Ukraine vs Russia boxing battle’

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      OLEKSANDR USYK has reportedly opened the door to a Ukraine versus Russia boxing battle against Alexander Povetkin. The pound-for-pound star this year enlisted with the Kyiv Territorial Defence after Russia’s invasion.
      Oleksandr Usyk has reportedly opened the door to fighting Alexander PovetkinCredit: Reuters
      Russian Alexander Povetkin is retired from boxing
      But he left his homeland in the summer to train for his rematch with Anthony Joshua, 33, which he won on points in August.
      Usyk, 35, has since returned to his family in the war-torn country and shelved a unification bout with Tyson Fury, 34, after doing so.
      The heavyweight, who branded Vladimir Putin “very weak”, was quizzed on fighting Russians.
      In response, he told Polish site Interia: “What’s this for? I’ve beaten them so many times!”
      READ MORE in BOXING
      In his professional career, Usyk has only beaten two opponents from Russia but made a career out of it during his amateur reign.
      Povetkin, 43, retired from boxing in June 2021 after being knocked out in his rematch with Dillian Whyte, 34.
      Asked about a potential fight, Usyk said: “Well, I would have done that. I’d have no choice but to slap him hard.”
      Fury, 34, returns on December 3 in a trilogy bout against Derek Chisora, 38, who he beat one-sidedly in 2011 and 2014.
      Most read in Boxing
      But talks are already underway for the heavyweight division’s first ever four-belt undisputed bout next year in Saudi Arabia.
      Usyk said: “We’ll have to come to terms with this. Sport is sport and business is business.
      “For me, boxing is just a sport, and for those who organize it, it’s big business. There are two boxers in the ring. Their job is to box.
      “Everything else is organizers, sponsors and many other factors to be considered.
      “As soon as we establish everything, we will come to an agreement, we will sign official documents – we will work.”
      Oleksandr Usyk, promoter Bob Arum and Tyson FuryCredit: Getty More

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      in Soccer

      Russia’s secret invasion of Qatar’s World Cup with big tech deals and sexy performers

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      RUSSIA has invaded the World Cup by clinching big business mega deals worth millions – and sending sexy performers to star in Qatar’s glitzy fan zone shows.Vladimir Putin’s bloodbath in Ukraine has earned his nation pariah status – including a total ban from football by Fifa.
      Russian singer and actress Maria Rutsoba will be performing in QatarCredit: Dan Charity
      Maria is one of around a thousand Russians believed to be in QatarCredit: Dan Charity
      But hosts Qatar have stuck to deals with Putin’s oligarch cronies cut before the war guaranteeing the Russian economy millions, despite economic sanctions.
      A Sun probe has revealed Russian phone and tech companies, caterers and VIP chauffeur services are all in use in Doha.
      A World Cup insider in Doha said: “There are already hundreds – if not thousands – of Russians working here on the World Cup.”
      It is not just bigwigs who are in Qatar.
      READ MORE WORLD CUP
      Singer and actress Maria Rubtsova, 24, is starring in a show on Doha’s corniche fan zone.
      Maria, from Moscow, is distraught though, thinking of her father Alexandr, 54, who is fighting in the Ukraine.
      She said: “I don’t support Putin and have no idea why he started this war – but my dad said it was his duty to fight and volunteered.”
      She added: “I can’t stop thinking about what my dad is going through and whether I’ll ever see him again.”
      Most read in The Sun
      Qatar’s World Cup Supreme Committee declined to comment on The Sun’s findings last night.
      Maria says she worries she may not see her dad again, who is part of Putin’s armyCredit: Dan Charity
      Vladimir Putin struck deals with Qatar which have been honouredCredit: Reuters More

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      in Boxing

      7ft boxing legend Nikolai Valuev, 49, rushed to hospital in Moscow after being drafted to fight for Putin in Ukraine

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      FORMER boxing World Champion and pro-Putin politician Nikolai Valuev has been mysteriously rushed to hospital weeks after he was drafted to fight in Ukraine.Russian state media reports that the 7-foot colossus, who once fought David Haye, was sped to a Moscow hospital on Thursday night.
      Former boxing world champion Nikolai Valuev has been hospitalised in RussiaCredit: Getty
      Valuev once fought Brit David Haye before turning to politicsCredit: Getty
      He is now an MP for the pro-Putin United Russia partyCredit: AFP
      Valuev announced he had received a draft notice in SeptemberCredit: Getty
      A picture of Valuev was shared online claiming that he was now wellCredit: Telegram
      Reports in the Russian magazine Life claim he was hospitalised after complaining about leg problems.
      However, his spokesperson has issued a bizarre denial, claiming: “No one broke his legs.”
      Valery Kuzenkov told the publication: “Nikolai Sergeevich jumps, dances. Yesterday he was in the State Duma until late.
      “No one broke his legs, and no one put him in the hospital. He is alive and well, smiling and walking on two legs. Now he is at home.”
      READ MORE ON RUSSIA
      Valuev has now given a cryptic statement thanking his fans for their concern, but not confirming or denying that he was hospitalised.
      “Thank you all for your concern and well wishes,” he wrote in his channel on the messaging app Telegram. “Everything is fine. We are working.”
      He also said that he was continuing to work, and would be commenting on upcoming boxing matches this weekend.
      “Tomorrow there will be fights on Channel One,” he said. “As usual, I will comment on what is happening in the ring. See you on the First.”
      It comes less than two months after Valuev was called up to fight in Ukraine.
      Most read in Boxing
      On September 29, he published photos on social media of a summons letter to report to his nearest draft office, and wrote: “If the Motherland calls, I will go.”
      But since then, he has given no indication of when he might go to Ukraine, and said he wouldn’t invite the media to go with him so they “did not do PR on this”.
      Valuev made his professional boxing debut in October 1993, retiring in 2010 after 52 fights.
      He won 50, including 34 by knockout, and became Russia’s first World Heavyweight Boxing Champion in 2005.
      Valuev held the WBA title between 2005 and 2007 and reclaimed it in 2009 shortly before hanging up his gloves for good.
      He was forced to retire in 2010 due to a benign brain tumour.
      Read More on The Sun
      After retiring in 2009, Valuev went into politics and joined the Russian parliament or Duma in 2011 as a member of the Putin-backing United Russia party.
      He is also a Bigfoot obsessive, who has spent many years trying to track down the elusive creature in the wilds of Siberia.
      Help those fleeing conflict with The Sun’s Ukraine FundPICTURES of women and children fleeing the horror of Ukraine’s devastated towns and cities have moved Sun readers to tears.
      Many of you want to help the five million caught in the chaos — and now you can, by donating to The Sun’s Ukraine Fund.
      Give as little as £3 or as much as you can afford and every penny will be donated to the Red Cross on the ground helping women, children, the old, the infirm and the wounded.
      Donate here to help The Sun’s fund
      Or text to 70141 from UK mobiles
      £3 — text SUN£3£5 — text SUN£5£10 — text SUN£10
      Texts cost your chosen donation amount (e.g. £5) +1 standard message (we receive 100%). For full T&Cs visit redcross.org.uk/mobile
      The Ukraine Crisis Appeal will support people in areas currently affected and those potentially affected in the future by the crisis.
      In the unlikely event that the British Red Cross raise more money than can be reasonably and efficiently spent, any surplus funds will be used to help them prepare for and respond to other humanitarian disasters anywhere in the world.
      For more information visit https://donate.redcross.org.uk/appeal/disaster-fund More

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      in Soccer

      Boy, 12, signs for Dundee Utd after fleeing war-torn Ukraine and not being able to play football for months

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      DUNDEE UNITED have signed a boy whose family had to flee from Ukraine after the country was invaded by Russia.Stanislav Drbych, 12, settled with his family in Monifieth, Scotland and his skills with the ball were quickly noticed by his school.
      Stanislav Drbych has been signed by Scottish side DundeeCredit: Twitter/@BBCSportScot
      He admitted he had forgotten how to play footballCredit: Twitter/@BBCSportScot
      “Before the war I didn’t worry that bombs could kill my friends.”Stanislav Drabych, a 12-year-old boy who fled the war in Ukraine with his family to Scotland, says signing for Dundee United is “like Christmas Day”.#BBCFootball— BBC Sport Scotland (@BBCSportScot) November 8, 2022

      His head teacher sent a message to Dundee about Stas, and the club responded by offering him a trial which he completed in September.
      After joining the club, the youngster revealed that he is very happy to be able to play football again.
      He told the BBC: “It’s like Christmas Day, I can play football again.
      “Before I moved from Ukraine, I didn’t play for three months. I forgot what football means and how to play football – now I’m happy.
      READ MORE ON FOOTBALL
      “If we stay in Scotland I’ll play for Dundee United – because they helped me I’ll help them to win the Scottish league.”
      Dundee’s head of player care, education and safeguarding, Niall Nicolson added: “We take player care very seriously at Dundee United and have done all we can to help Stas and his family.
      “His dad was also out of work initially, so we helped with transport to training and also used Google Translate on the phone to communicate.
      “Stas also got the chance, as other academy players do, to be the ball boy at a game. He loved the experience and we’ll do all we can to help him – and all players under our care – feel at home at Dundee United.”
      Most read in FOOTBALL
      Stas used to play for Lviv academy Rukh while he was in Ukraine, which was a residential school that also provided training.
      After fleeing Ukraine with his father, mother, and siblings, Stas admitted that he is still worried about his friends back in his home country.
      He said: “I’m scared. Before the war, the life was happy.
      “I wasn’t very worried about anything but now I’m worried about my friends, worried about shelling and worried they might be killed.” More

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      in Soccer

      Shakhtar Donetsk chief calls for England’s opponents Iran to be kicked out of World Cup and replaced by Ukraine

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      IRAN should be booted from the World Cup and replaced by Ukraine, claims Shakhtar Donetsk CEO Sergei Palkin.The Middle Eastern country are set to kick off their campaign against Group B rivals England on November 21, before taking on Wales and the United States.
      Sergei Palkin wants Iran booted out of the World CupCredit: Getty
      Palkin, however, is leading calls for them to be removed from the competition, after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky accused them of supplying drones to Russia.
      A statement from Palkin read: “Shakhtar Football Club calls on Fifa and the entire international community to immediately ban Iran’s national team from playing at the World Cup for the country’s direct participation in terrorist attacks on Ukrainians.
      “This will be a fair decision that should draw the attention of the whole world to a regime that kills its best people and helps kill Ukrainians.
      “The vacant place should be taken by the national team of Ukraine, which proved that it is worthy of participation in the mundial.
      Read More Football Stories
      “With unequal conditions with other national teams during the play-offs, they played with their heart.
      “This decision is historically and sportingly justified. I urge everyone to join the pressure on the football bureaucracy.
      “It is enough to repeat the mistakes of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, hiding behind the empty thesis about the apolitically of sports.
      “Facilitating the participation of terrorists in the World Cup is politics. It’s time to put an end to such a policy.”
      Most read in Football
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      Ukraine were beaten by Wales in their World Cup qualifying play-off earlier this year.
      Zelensky, 44, revealed that seven Russian drones shot down in Ukraine were supplied by Iran.
      He responded by stripping Iran’s ambassador to Ukraine of his acceditation.
      Iran have also been accused of sending personnel to Crimea to assist with the deadly bombardment of Ukraine’s towns and cities with kamikaze drones.
      Campaigners have also intensified calls to ban Iran after more than 200 protesters were killed in a crackdown by the country’s religious morality police.
      Iran has been rocked by an uprising triggered when a student died in police custody after she was held for not wearing her headscarf correctly.
      Carlos Queiroz is set to lead Iran at the World CupCredit: AP More