About this episode

The episode explores the impact of war on Ukrainian football, focusing on Shakhtar Donetsk and the emergence of Russian copycat clubs, while also discussing Heidelberg United's ambitions and Montserrat's search for a coach.

Shakhtar Donetsk are a Ukrainian football club – but Russia are trying to change that by founding Shakhtyor Donetsk! As part of their efforts to integrate occupied Ukrainian territories, Russia are now creating their own versions of major Ukrainian teams. So why are UEFA not stopping this? What is the current situation in the Crimean Premier League? And how has the invasion changed football in Ukraine? On this episode, we’re taking you on a journey to Ukraine to investigate how football is being used as a weapon of aggression. Plus: Semi-pro Heidelberg United eye up an historic AFC berth and Montserrat search for a new head coach on Facebook. Chapters: 00:00 – Intro 01:25 – The copycats in Russia’s fourth tier 06:22 – The Crimean Premier League 08:01 – Shakhtar Donetsk’s European run 11:15 – The rapid rise of LNZ Cherkasy 17:31 – Heidelberg United’s AFC aspirations 20:58 – Unlikely continental qualifications 25:30 – Montserrat’s unorthodox manager hunt

People in this episode

Hosts: Lee Wingate, Paul Watson

Topics covered

• football as a weapon of war
• Ukrainian football
• Russian football copycats
• Heidelberg United aspirations
• Montserrat coaching search

Keywords

• Shakhtar Donetsk
• Ukraine
• Russia
• football
• Heidelberg United
• Montserrat
• UEFA
• LNZ Cherkasy
• coaching

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Shakhtar Donetsk, UEFA, Heidelberg United, LNZ Cherkasy

Places: Ukraine, Russia, Crimea, Montserrat

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