Russian Premier League

CSKA Moscow have responded to claims their fans caused the incident with an escalator in a Roman metro station ahead of Tuesday's UEFA Champions League match against AS Roma, calling the reports "premature conclusions."

The Russian club released a statement urging patience while authorities investigate the matter (h/t Football Italia):

"We'd like to mention that the representatives of Russian Embassy in Rome and Russian Football Union immediately reacted and are also doing everything possible to help injured people. Medical and police services of Rome, despite the controversial rumors, didn't leave our citizens without support and tried their best to help them.

"Regarding the various official comments about the reasons of the accident (including the statement about pseudofans jumping on the escalator) we think that it's not the right moment for the premature conclusions.

"Our faithful fans and citizens were hurt, and now the top priority are their health and homecoming. It's up to Rome police authorities to investigate the reasons why escalator in the underground of one of the global capitals where hundred thousand people travel every day collapsed and thus threatened the people's lives."

More than 20 people were injured during the incident Tuesday night. An escalator malfunctioned and quickly picked up speed, causing the passengers riding it to smash into each other at the bottom.

Russian journalist Artur Petrosyan shared a video of the incident (warning: graphic content):

According to the Football Italia report, one of the injured passengers had their foot partially amputated.

Roma expressed their support for those injured:

Eyewitnesses reports pointed the finger at CSKA fans, who supposedly jumped and danced on the escalator until it malfunctioned. The bottom steps "crumpled," which caused the escalator to speed up.

Rome mayor Virginia Raggi presented those reports as the official version, but CSKA have now called for patience until the investigation is completed. The club also pledged its support to help those injured during the incident.

Roma beat CSKA 3-0 in Tuesday's clash to grab a share of the Group G lead. The Giallorossi are tied with Real Madrid on six points, two ahead of CSKA and five ahead of Viktoria Plzen.

Zenit St. Petersburg striker Alexander Kokorin and Krasnodar midfielder Pavel Mamaev were involved in a nasty altercation with a Russian government official that saw Kokorin appear to strike the official with a chair.

Kokorin and Mamaev were caught on camera accosting the official in a cafe in Moscow, according to Gazeta (h/t Liam Twomey of The Independent).

A Twitter user relayed footage of the incident:

The official, named as Denis Pak of the trade ministry by BBC Sport, required medical attention. "Zenit said Kokorin had behaved 'disgustingly' and Krasnodar said they were looking to end Mamaev's contract," per the same source.

An investigation is under way by the Russian interior ministry. Gazeta (h/t Twomey) spoke to a lawyer who said the pair could be sent to prison for five years if found guilty.

Gazeta also noted how staff working at the cafe in the Russian capital felt Kokorin and Mamaev were intoxicated with alcohol and possibly under the influence of drugs.

While Zenit said they won't pursue punishment for Kokorin until the legal process had been completed, the club that finished fifth in the Russian Premier League last season described "great disgust" and "indignation" at his actions.

Zenit also lamented the "dismay" and "shame" Kokorin's actions had brought upon the club's supporters.

Kokorin, 27, hit 16 goals in both domestic and UEFA Europa League action last season. He has begun this campaign by scoring the winner in Zenit's second Europa League match, a 1-0 victory over Slavia Prague earlier this month.

Like Kokorin, Mamaev is a Russia international. The 30-year-old appeared alongside Kokorin at UEFA Euro 2016.

Krasnodar sound determined to end their association with the player, per BBC Sport: "Unfortunately, contracts are drawn up in such a way that they protect professional athletes to the greatest possible extent. But we will do everything to get it done."

Both the Russian government and its footballing body will be keen to act fast in reacting to an incident that has brought the game into disrepute.

Russian club Spartak Moscow tweeted a video accompanied by a racist reference to their own players on Saturday.

The club uploaded a video of four of their players in training, three of whom are black:

Смотрите, как шоколадки тают на солнце ☀️ #Джикия #Дубай #сбор #спартаквОАЭ #краснобелые #Спартак pic.twitter.com/EUvYRp0H8T

— FC Spartak Moscow (@fcsm_official) January 13, 2018

According to BBC Sport, the text accompanying the video translated as, "See how the chocolates melt in the sun."

Several hours later, Spartak tweeted another video, which Russian football expert Artur Petrosyan translated:

Piara Powar, head of anti-discriminatory group Fare, said:

"Racism is one of the biggest issues Russia faces in the year they host the World Cup. References like this show how some minorities are seen by some in the country.

"For Russia's biggest club to tolerate and then celebrate racist references of this kind is wrong.

"They were sanctioned for Islamophobic chanting recently, but clearly the message has not reached the players or the club management."

The Kick It Out campaign also reacted to the post:

Spartak were sanctioned by UEFA earlier this season after their supporters racially abused Liverpool forward Bobby Adekanye during the Reds' UEFA Youth League match in September.

In the return fixture at Prenton Park, Spartak defender Leonid Mironov allegedly abused Rhian Brewster and has also been charged by UEFA.

According to the Guardian's Alec Luhn, there were over 150 reports involving racism between 2012 and 2014 alone.

AS Roma starlet Leandro Paredes has completed his shock move to Zenit Saint Petersburg, joining the Russian side in a €23 million transfer.

Zenit announced the news via Twitter:

The 23-year-old Argentina international was widely regarded as one of Roma's top young talents and an up-and-coming star in Serie A. He was a regular contributor in the Giallorossi's stacked midfield.

Football Paradise's Srijandeep Das didn't understand how such a great prospect ended up in Russia:

Blessed with excellent passing range, vision and physical tools, Paredes can anchor just about any midfield unit, find forwards in space and chip in a few goals himself. For the reported fee of €23 million―with bonuses potentially adding €4 million to the fee, per Roma's official website―Zenit are buying a tremendous young player with excellent upside.

One has to wonder why Europe's elite clubs weren't all over Paredes and instead allowed him to fall into Zenit's lap.  

Paredes is the second top talent to leave the Giallorossi in quick succession, with Mohamed Salah completing a move to Liverpool in June. 

Zenit Saint Petersburg have completed the signing of Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic.

The move was announced on Zenit's official website on Wednesday, and the Russian club confirmed the Serbia international has signed a two-and-a-half year contract.

Here is Ivanovic with his new jersey, per the Zenit Twitter account:

The Blues posted the following on social media, paying tribute to their former defender:

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte's transition to a three-man defence took its toll on Ivanovic after the veteran fell further from the Italian's first-team plans, with other figures preferred in his 3-4-3 system.

Prior to Wednesday's announcement, Conte confirmed Ivanovic's desire for more first-team football was fuelling his departure, and the Blues boss suggested it was the player's decision to leave, per Sky Sports:

Honestly, I didn't speak with the player about this decision. For sure we know is talking with other clubs but until now I don't know anything. We have to wait.

He has played a lot of games for Chelsea and has won a lot here. He is 32 years old and can play many more years at the top level but it's important to respect the player's decision.

If you are not playing a lot, you can make a decision to go to another team but, with respect for him, I am sorry to see him go. When you start the season with a certain group and you try to create a link between the staff and players, we are sorry if someone decides to go away.

However, the 32-year-old could still prove to be a major asset under the right conditions, and Zenit manager Mircea Lucescu will hope he can offer the right setting for his new arrival to excel once again.

Ivanovic leaves Stamford Bridge with a glittering silverware stack, having won the UEFA Champions League, two Premier League titles, three FA Cups, a UEFA Europa League crown and more during his stay.

Here's a look at just how successful he was during his time at Chelsea:

It's that kind of mentality Zenit will be hoping to see more of as Ivanovic settles into his new surroundings, looking to bring a winning attitude with him as he hopes to add to his trophy collection.

The Serb has left Stamford Bridge nine years after his arrival from Lokomotiv Moscow, and he made a total of 377 appearances for the Blues across all competitions, per Transfermarkt.

BR Video

Take a bow, Denis Glushakov.

The 29-year-old midfielder broke the deadlock at the perfect moment for Spartak Moscow at the weekend, unleashing a rocket from outside the box in injury time to claim victory for his side against Amkar Perm.

The win helped Spartak maintain their place at the top of the Russian Premier League, with manager Massimo Carrera's side now three points clear of second-placed Zenit St Petersburg.

While we're not too sure whether this one would be legal, we like the audacity.

FC Zenit's Brazilian forward Hulk put away this cheeky penalty in training this week, flicking his boot toward goal to commit the goalkeeper before rolling the ball home.

Sixth-placed Zenit are currently enjoying the Russian Premier League's winter break, with Hulk's side already through to the Champions League's last 16, where they will face Benfica in February and March.

[h/t 101 Great Goals]

Zenit Saint Petersburg manager Andre Villas-Boas has confirmed that he will leave the Russian club at the end of the season having turned down the offer of a contract extension.

The 37-year-old Portuguese manager told Zenit's official website that the 2015-16 campaign would be his last in charge: "Talking about a contract extension, when we last met with you I said that the club had made ​​me an offer at the end of last season, I have refused and at the end of the season I will leave the club."

The news is largely unsurprising as Villas-Boas tried to leave his post at the end of the 2014-15 season but was not allowed to do so by Zenit's hierarchy, per ESPN FC.

He has reportedly been upset by new Russian laws on foreign players that required him to move on Salomon Rondon to West Bromwich Albion, per the Independent's Jack Pitt-Brooke:

The former Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea manager took over the top job at the Petrovsky Stadium from Luciano Spalletti in March 2014.

In his first full season with the club—the 2014-15 campaign—he won the Russian Premier League by seven points to second-placed CSKA Moscow.

After seven games of the new season Zenit sit in third place, six behind the league-leading Moscow outfit who have yet to drop a point.

Zenit begin their Champions League campaign with an away trip to Spanish club Valencia on Wednesday—Ligue 1's Lyon and Belgian outfit Gent join them in Group H—following a crucial clash with CSKA this weekend.

Having previously managed in the Premier League, a potential return to England could be on the cards for Villas-Boas, or he may perhaps prefer to return home to Portugal where he was so successful with Porto at the start of his career.

The Russian Football Union have banned Ufa’s Emmanuel Frimpong for two games, rejecting claims that he was racially abused by the supporters of Spartak Moscow.

Frimpong, a former Arsenal player, was hit with a two-game suspension after he was sent off in the match between the two sides. The midfielder raised a finger in response to the alleged chanting.

Subsequently, according to Reuters (h/t Eurosport.co.uk), an RFU disciplinary committee found “no evidence” that any racist abuse occurred. The 23-year-old midfielder had claimed that he was subject to “monkey chants” on Friday during the opening weekend of the Russian top flight.

Here’s what Artur Grigoryants, the head of the investigation, told reporters, per the aforementioned piece:

The match inspector and the match delegate did not note that there had been any disciplinary violations by Spartak supporters towards Frimpong in the match reports.

There were no instances of racism. We have no grounds to take disciplinary sanctions against Spartak.

On July 23, the BBC reported FIFA asked the Russian FA to explain the incident, in the hopes of preventing future incidents. 

BBC’s John Bennett posted the following footage of the incident on his Twitter feed and, needless to say, disagrees with the verdict of the Russian FA:

*Warning, contains pictures some may find offensive*

Although there has been no wrongdoing found in this instance, it’s clear the country is in a major battle with racism in their game. After all, Brazil international Hulk, who plays for Russian giants Zenit Saint Petersburg, said he encounters racism “in almost every game" recently, per the Associated Press (h/t the Guardian).

Needless to say, Frimpong himself was far from happy in the immediate aftermath of the incident and raised some pertinent concerns with the 2018 World Cup, set to be staged in Russia, now just three years away:

Should unsavoury incidents continue to blot Russian football, the questions about whether the 2018 World Cup should be stationed in the country will hold increased and concerning clout.