Marked for Egor Yuschenko
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad28 Jun 2027
141 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Naftan lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Match26 Jun 2027
8 matches without a win for Naftan
The run now stands at 8, and the questions being asked around Naftan are no longer polite ones.
Match26 Jun 2027
8 matches without a goal for Naftan
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 8 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Market28 Jun 2027
The paperwork is done: Maxim Sapriko joins from Vitebsk in a deal worth $29.0K. Now comes the harder part.
Transfer targets28 Jun 2027
No deal for Danil Ananka at that price
Naftan offered $13.0K; Neman said it was not close. The manager will be told the money is still there for the right player, which is what managers are told.
Squad28 Jun 2027
Words at Naftan training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ignat Pranovich is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Squad28 Jun 2027
Words exchanged at Naftan
Alexey Legchilin and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The dugout28 Jun 2027
The manager makes an example of Egor Yuschenko
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad28 Jun 2027
The system has changed and his position has not. A footballer can improve his form; he cannot improve the manager’s formation, and that is the whole of the problem.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad10 May 2027
Ignat Pranovich falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Match8 May 2027
Naftan come up short against BATE
BATE left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad10 May 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Matvey Susha and Naftan agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
The dugout10 May 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Egor Yuschenko, and the manager let it.
The dugout10 May 2027
The manager’s verdict
“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 0‑1 Maksim Arlouski left the room before anybody could ask which.
Market10 May 2027
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Naftan, another week without a signature from Egor Yuschenko.
Squad10 May 2027
Young player of the week: Matvey Susha
At 19 he was the best of everybody his age in the division for one weekend. Nobody should build a career on it and everybody quietly does.
The dugout10 May 2027
Timur Galimzyanov has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Naftan will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
The dugout10 May 2027
Ninety specific minutes wanted a different sort of player, and the manager picked one. He is not out of form and he is not in the side, and both are true.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match17 Apr 2027
17 unbeaten for Naftan
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 17 matches without defeat is a foundation Naftan did not have in the autumn.
Match17 Apr 2027
Naftan make home a hard place to visit
13 without defeat on their own grass. The pitch has not changed; the crowd has — louder earlier, and quicker to sense when the opposition would rather be somewhere else.
Squad19 Apr 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Naftan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match17 Apr 2027
The goals have deserted Naftan
3 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Naftan can tell you which week it ends in.
The terraces19 Apr 2027
He is 23 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
Squad19 Apr 2027
Words at Naftan training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Egor Yuschenko is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Player ratings19 Apr 2027
Marked 7.15 on an afternoon he ran from the first whistle to the last. Whatever else went wrong, Naftan had the best player on the pitch.
The dugout19 Apr 2027
“A point is a point and I will take it, but we should have had all three.” Maksim Arlouski after the 0‑0 draw, and the sentence every manager in the country said at some stage this weekend.
Market19 Apr 2027
Experience through the door at Naftan
Andrey Pyrkin arrives at 38 with nothing left to prove and plenty left to pass on. Legs are a young man's currency; knowing where to stand never ages.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market15 Feb 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Naftan, and it is not being withdrawn.
The dugout15 Feb 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Naftan may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad15 Feb 2027
Tempers go at Naftan
Yamoussa Camara was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Transfer targets15 Feb 2027
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
Squad15 Feb 2027
Words at Naftan training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Egor Yuschenko is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Transfer targets15 Feb 2027
Dinamo Moscow have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
The dugout15 Feb 2027
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
The dugout15 Feb 2027
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Timur Galimzyanov is on it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad18 Jan 2027
A falling-out at Naftan
Matej Malenšek and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout18 Jan 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad18 Jan 2027
Egor Yuschenko falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The dugout18 Jan 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Yamoussa Camara trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
The dugout18 Jan 2027
Timur Galimzyanov has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Naftan will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
Squad18 Jan 2027
The language has come, the shrug has gone, and he argues in training like a man who expects to be here next year. None of it shows up on a fee and all of it shows up on the pitch.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad28 Dec 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Naftan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad28 Dec 2026
A row about effort at Naftan
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Egor Yuschenko was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout28 Dec 2026
Ivan Bober has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Naftan will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
The dugout28 Dec 2026
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
The dugout28 Dec 2026
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
The dugout28 Dec 2026
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Nikita Kostomarov has written the date down.
From our football correspondent
Steady
The dugout7 Dec 2026
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Naftan may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Tempers go at Naftan
Matej Malenšek was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad7 Dec 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Vadim Yakovlev and Naftan agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Words at Naftan training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Egor Yuschenko is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout7 Dec 2026
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Matej Malenšek is on it.
The dugout7 Dec 2026
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Naftan, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
The dugout16 Nov 2026
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Words exchanged at Naftan
Yamoussa Camara and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad16 Nov 2026
14 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Words at Naftan training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Egor Yuschenko is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout16 Nov 2026
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Astemir Khashkulov is on it.
The dugout16 Nov 2026
Matej Malenšek knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Naftan, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
The dugout9 Nov 2026
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad9 Nov 2026
A falling-out at Naftan
Yamoussa Camara and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Words at Naftan training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ignat Pranovich is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout9 Nov 2026
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Matej Malenšek is on it.
Market9 Nov 2026
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
The dugout9 Nov 2026
He asked about his future and was given an answer with minutes in it. The manager has now made a promise in a building where promises are remembered, and the clock on it has started.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad2 Nov 2026
A row about effort at Naftan
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ignat Pranovich was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Boardroom2 Nov 2026
$1.6M on the table at Naftan
The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.
The dugout2 Nov 2026
When it matters, Ivan Bober plays
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
Market2 Nov 2026
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Naftan, another week without a signature from Dmitriy Fedortsov.
The dugout2 Nov 2026
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Dmitriy Fedortsov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
The dugout2 Nov 2026
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at Naftan. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
From our football correspondent
Steady
The dugout26 Oct 2026
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Market26 Oct 2026
Vadim Yakovlev has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Naftan they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad26 Oct 2026
A falling-out at Naftan
Matej Malenšek and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Egor Yuschenko falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The dugout26 Oct 2026
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Timur Galimzyanov is on it.
The dugout26 Oct 2026
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at Naftan. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad5 Oct 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Naftan this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad5 Oct 2026
At 21 he was better than everybody his age in the division for four weeks running, which is harder than one good afternoon. Naftan will try not to make too much of it.
The dugout5 Oct 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
In brief
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Squad
15 new faces, and Naftan are still learning each other
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Squad
A row about effort at Naftan
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The dugout
Ivan Bober has become a man the manager trusts
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The dugout
Yamoussa Camara asks for a word with the manager
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
Ivan Bober beats them one at a time
Successful dribbles: 25. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
Boardroom14 Sep 2026
Naftan close the window on a squad of their own making
20 in and 5 out, and no more changes for months. The manager has what he has, the supporters have their opinion of it, and the table will have the last word.
Transfer targets14 Sep 2026
Terms were offered and declined. Whether it was the wages, the role or the town, nobody at Cracovia is saying, and nobody at Naftan is enjoying the guessing.
Match12 Sep 2026
Whatever happens, Naftan do not lose
6 games unbeaten now. Some were earned and some were survived, but a habit is forming — and habits are the hardest thing in football to play against.
Transfer targets14 Sep 2026
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Panserraikos have kept their man, and Naftan go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Market14 Sep 2026
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Valery Stasevich is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market14 Sep 2026
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Yauhen Pavlov has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Squad14 Sep 2026
Words at Naftan training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Egor Yuschenko is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout14 Sep 2026
Somebody else has been better, the manager has said so with a team sheet, and there is no argument to be had. He will get the shirt back the only way it can be got back.