Marked for Ivan Alferov
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match27 Jan 2029
4‑1, and the margin flattered nobody — it could have carried another goal or two without complaint. Afternoons like this are why people keep coming.
Market29 Jan 2029
Ufa say no — this time
The offer from Rostov for Vladislav Kamilov was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Squad29 Jan 2029
The match ball belongs to Danil Lipovoy, whose 3 goals turned a difficult afternoon into a procession.
The dugout29 Jan 2029
Adilson Bahia: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Ufa have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market29 Jan 2029
Ivan Alferov hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Ufa can pretend not to have heard.
Squad29 Jan 2029
18 goals and a season average of 7.30. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Market29 Jan 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ufa is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Transfer targets29 Jan 2029
The deal with Spartak Moscow is done in every sense but the one that puts him on the pitch. Nothing goes wrong at this stage, except on the occasions when it does.
Squad29 Jan 2029
Tempers go at Ufa
Timofey Shipunov 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.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match13 Jan 2029
Ufa taken apart
0‑3 to Ural, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
Market15 Jan 2029
Adilson Bahia hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Ufa can pretend not to have heard.
Market15 Jan 2029
Ufa say no — this time
The offer from Zlate Moravce for Artur Sagitov was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Market15 Jan 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Ufa is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad15 Jan 2029
Dilan Ortíz in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ufa this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad15 Jan 2029
A row about effort at Ufa
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Vladislav Kamilov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout15 Jan 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Alan Khabalov, and the manager let it.
Boardroom15 Jan 2029
Inquest at Ufa
The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.
The dugout15 Jan 2029
It is not much of a headline and it is the reason players believe the next promise. Ufa told Filip Mrzljak something would happen and then it happened, which in this industry passes for remarkable.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market18 Dec 2028
Only the photograph left for Ivan Alferov
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Ivan Alferov will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Ufa the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad18 Dec 2028
Dilan Ortíz in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ufa this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad18 Dec 2028
Words at Ufa training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Vladislav Kamilov 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 dugout18 Dec 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Jean Acosta, and the manager let it.
Match16 Dec 2028
Ufa caught on 95 minutes
The board was up, the win was priced in, and then Spartak Kostroma scored. There is no worse minute to concede in and the ground emptied in the silence that follows one.
Squad18 Dec 2028
A goalkeeper’s error has no defender behind it to tidy it away. He knew before the ball crossed the line, the crowd knew a second later, and there is nothing anybody can say tonight.
Match16 Dec 2028
A 1‑1 draw with Spartak Kostroma leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
The dugout18 Dec 2028
Ivan Kuznetsov is still being punished for one mistake
Nobody will confirm it and the team sheets confirm it every week. One error has bought him a spell as second choice that is already longer than the error deserved.
The dugout18 Dec 2028
“It is not the end of the world and it is not good enough. Both of those are true.” The manager, after a 1‑1 draw, said the honest thing and then went to say it again inside.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings20 Nov 2028
7.77, 1 on the scoresheet, and the specific comedy of a back-four player celebrating like somebody who does this every week. He does not, and that is exactly why the ground reacted the way it did.
Market20 Nov 2028
Only the photograph left for Ivan Alferov
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Ivan Alferov will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Ufa the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad20 Nov 2028
Dilan Ortíz in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ufa this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad20 Nov 2028
Words at Ufa training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Konstantin Troyanov 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.
Match18 Nov 2028
Ufa rescue it on 86 minutes
Behind, and beaten by any honest reading, until minute 86. Rotor had the points in their pocket and a corner of the ground still believed, which is generally when it happens.
Match18 Nov 2028
Ufa share the spoils with Rotor
A 2‑2 draw with Rotor leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
The dugout20 Nov 2028
“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.
The dugout20 Nov 2028
“A point is a point and I will take it, but we should have had all three.” Andrei Kombarov after the 2‑2 draw, and the sentence every manager in the country said at some stage this weekend.
The dugout20 Nov 2028
Filip Mrzljak asks for a word with the manager
“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.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad23 Oct 2028
21 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Ufa lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Player ratings23 Oct 2028
Two goals and a mark of 8.73 to go with them. Strikers are judged on afternoons like this one and remembered for far fewer of them than people imagine.
Market23 Oct 2028
Ivan Alferov has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Ufa they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad23 Oct 2028
A falling-out at Ufa
Timofey Shipunov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad23 Oct 2028
A row about effort at Ufa
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Vladislav Kamilov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad23 Oct 2028
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Ufa know it.
Match21 Oct 2028
SKA Khabarovsk made Ufa work for it, but the scoreboard read 2‑1 at the end and the table does not ask how.
The dugout23 Oct 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Jean Acosta, and the manager let it.
The dugout23 Oct 2028
A promise honoured at Ufa
Something was said to Vladislav Kamilov and then it happened. In this industry that passes for remarkable, and the dressing room noticed faster than any supporter could.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad18 Sep 2028
A knee injury of the worst kind for Vasily Cherov
58 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Ufa lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Match16 Sep 2028
A hiding for Ufa
Beaten 0‑4 by Ural, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.
Squad18 Sep 2028
32 days out for Daniil Dementjev after a fracture
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Ufa will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Market18 Sep 2028
Ivan Alferov has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Ufa they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
The dugout18 Sep 2028
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Squad18 Sep 2028
Words exchanged at Ufa
Vladislav Kamilov 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.
Transfer targets18 Sep 2028
Ufa asked and Rotor said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad18 Sep 2028
Konstantin Troyanov 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.
Boardroom18 Sep 2028
Doors closed at Ufa
The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad21 Aug 2028
Vasily Cherov damages knee ligaments — 87 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 87 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Match19 Aug 2028
No mercy from Ufa
Spartak Kostroma will want this one forgotten quickly: 3‑0, every duel lost, and a long ride home. Ufa were ruthless in the way good sides are ruthless.
Player ratings21 Aug 2028
Two goals and a mark of 9.42 to go with them. Strikers are judged on afternoons like this one and remembered for far fewer of them than people imagine.
Squad21 Aug 2028
There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Player ratings21 Aug 2028
Adilson Bahia, 36, rolls back the years — 7.91
There is an age at which every good afternoon gets described as a throwback, which is unfair and also accurate. 7.91 at 36, and nobody on the pitch was better.
The dugout21 Aug 2028
news_b_frozen_out_of_the_side
Transfer targets21 Aug 2028
The deal with Rostov is done in every sense but the one that puts him on the pitch. Nothing goes wrong at this stage, except on the occasions when it does.
Market21 Aug 2028
Ivan Alferov has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Ufa they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad21 Aug 2028
Dilan Ortíz in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Ufa this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad14 Aug 2028
94 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Ufa lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Match12 Aug 2028
5 matches without a win for Ufa
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Ufa are no longer polite ones.
Transfer targets14 Aug 2028
The deal with Spartak Moscow is done in every sense but the one that puts him on the pitch. Nothing goes wrong at this stage, except on the occasions when it does.
Market14 Aug 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Transfer targets14 Aug 2028
Ufa had done everything except persuade the man himself. He stays at Zenit, and the manager goes back to the drawing board with the money still in the bank.
Boardroom14 Aug 2028
There is no worse way to lose a footballer. Ivan Alferov has pre-agreed a move away, which means every appearance between now and June is made by a man the club can no longer sell, and somebody upstairs will be asked why the contract was allowed to get here.
Market14 Aug 2028
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Ufa they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad14 Aug 2028
Daniil Dementjev is a better footballer than he was
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 21 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Squad14 Aug 2028
Tempers go at Ufa
Dilan Ortíz 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
The dugout10 Apr 2028
“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.
Market10 Apr 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market10 Apr 2028
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Nicholas Ammeter will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Ufa the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad10 Apr 2028
A falling-out at Ufa
Dilan Ortíz and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad10 Apr 2028
Vladislav Kamilov 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.
Squad10 Apr 2028
15 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad10 Apr 2028
15 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Market10 Apr 2028
He is 20, and nobody at Ufa signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Market10 Apr 2028
He is 20, and nobody at Ufa signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.