Marked for Suleiman Badaru
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad22 Nov 2027
84 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Spartaks lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Squad22 Nov 2027
Words exchanged at Spartaks
Vladimirs Gabovs 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.
Squad22 Nov 2027
Words at Spartaks training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Alvis Ciganovs 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.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad8 Nov 2027
98 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Spartaks lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Squad8 Nov 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 Spartaks this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad8 Nov 2027
A row about effort at Spartaks
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Alvis Stolcers was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad18 Oct 2027
Janis Tarasovs damages knee ligaments — 119 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 119 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.
Match18 Oct 2027
Spartaks refuse to drop out of the race
Position 3, 16 points, and the result everyone checks first is now theirs. The word is still not being said around the ground, which is how you know everyone is thinking it.
Squad18 Oct 2027
Vladimirs Gabovs 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
Uneasy
Squad11 Oct 2027
A knee injury of the worst kind for Janis Tarasovs
126 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Spartaks lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Squad11 Oct 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 Spartaks this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad11 Oct 2027
International break empties Spartaks
7 call-ups is a compliment to the squad and a headache for the man running it. He will get them back in a fortnight, tired, in various states of repair.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad13 Sep 2027
Davis Gabovs breaks a bone — 22 days out
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 22 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Market13 Sep 2027
“It was not right for me. I am not going to explain why to anybody except the people I owe an explanation to.” A deal agreed between two clubs, and a player who declined to be part of it.
Squad13 Sep 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 Spartaks this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout13 Sep 2027
news_b_old_wounds_reopened
Squad13 Sep 2027
Words at Spartaks training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Alvis Stolcers 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.
Squad13 Sep 2027
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Spartaks are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
The dugout13 Sep 2027
Igors Fertovs gets picked when it counts
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 Igors Fertovs is on it.
Market13 Sep 2027
A season-long look at somebody else’s player: Kirill Kosarev arrives from Zenit with something to prove and a return ticket in the drawer. Good loans make everybody richer; this one starts Saturday.
The dugout13 Sep 2027
Davis Rugins 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
Uneasy
Squad23 Aug 2027
44 days out for Davis Gabovs after a fracture
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Spartaks will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Match23 Aug 2027
Spartaks up to position 3
16 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.
Transfer targets23 Aug 2027
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. Spartaks have done the hard part with Spartak Moscow, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Squad23 Aug 2027
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Iason Georgakopoulos is 20, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
Market23 Aug 2027
The paperwork is done: Gļebs Mihaļcovs joins from Daugavpils in a deal worth $51.0K. Now comes the harder part.
Squad23 Aug 2027
Olegs Dubra 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 targets23 Aug 2027
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Metta/LU have kept their man, and Spartaks go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad23 Aug 2027
A row about effort at Spartaks
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Alvis Stolcers was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Market23 Aug 2027
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Spartaks have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad5 Jul 2027
96 days out for Davis Gabovs after a fracture
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Spartaks will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Market5 Jul 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
The dugout5 Jul 2027
“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.
Boardroom5 Jul 2027
He will play here until the summer and then walk out of the door for free, having already signed elsewhere. Supporters will manage the first part of that sentence; it is the second they will struggle with.
Market5 Jul 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Spartaks is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad5 Jul 2027
Words exchanged at Spartaks
Vladimirs Gabovs 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.
Market5 Jul 2027
The phone has started ringing about Marcis Ciganovs again, and this time the name on the line is Skonto. Spartaks are listening politely and promising nothing.
Squad5 Jul 2027
Raivis Dubra 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.
Squad5 Jul 2027
“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 Spartaks know it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad24 May 2027
A fracture rules Kristaps Rugins out for 60 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Spartaks will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Market24 May 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Spartaks is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad24 May 2027
Olegs Dubra 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 Spartaks this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad24 May 2027
Raivis Dubra 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 dugout24 May 2027
Igors Fertovs gets picked when it counts
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 Igors Fertovs is on it.
The dugout24 May 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.
The dugout24 May 2027
Clubs make promises constantly and the page usually only hears about them when they are broken. This one was honoured, and the dressing room noticed that faster than any supporter did.
The dugout24 May 2027
Alvis Ciganovs 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.
Market24 May 2027
The shop window has Pavels Cauna in it
Spartaks have let the market know Pavels Cauna can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Player ratings19 Apr 2027
Successful dribbles: 54. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad19 Apr 2027
A fracture rules Kristaps Rugins out for 96 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Spartaks will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Market19 Apr 2027
“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.
Market19 Apr 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Spartaks is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad19 Apr 2027
Olegs Dubra 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 Spartaks this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad19 Apr 2027
Raivis Cauna 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 dugout19 Apr 2027
Igors Fertovs gets picked when it counts
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 Igors Fertovs is on it.
The dugout19 Apr 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Suleiman Badaru, and the manager let it.
The dugout19 Apr 2027
Half-satisfied: Olegs Fertovs on the draw
“There are things I liked and things we will be doing on Tuesday until they are right.” 0‑0, and a manager who had already decided what Tuesday looked like.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market1 Mar 2027
“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.
Market1 Mar 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Spartaks is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad1 Mar 2027
A falling-out at Spartaks
Olegs Dubra and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad1 Mar 2027
A row about effort at Spartaks
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Raivis Dubra was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad1 Mar 2027
“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 Spartaks know it.
The dugout1 Mar 2027
Olegs Dubra has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Spartaks 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad4 Jan 2027
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 70 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Market4 Jan 2027
Skonto come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Spartaks did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Market4 Jan 2027
Add another name to the list: Daugavpils have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Raivis Dubra. The answer from Spartaks has not changed — yet.
Squad4 Jan 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 Spartaks this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Words at Spartaks training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Davis Gabovs 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.
Squad4 Jan 2027
“I have tried. I have really tried, and every day I wake up in the wrong place.” Nobody at Spartaks can coach that out of a man, and nobody there is pretending to.
The dugout4 Jan 2027
Olegs Dubra has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Spartaks 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 dugout4 Jan 2027
Pavels Stolcers 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.
Market4 Jan 2027
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Spartaks will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad14 Dec 2026
92 days out for Janis Tarasovs after a fracture
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Spartaks will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Market14 Dec 2026
“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.
Squad14 Dec 2026
Words exchanged at Spartaks
Vladimirs Gabovs 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad7 Dec 2026
A fracture rules Janis Tarasovs out for 100 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Spartaks will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Squad7 Dec 2026
A falling-out at Spartaks
Vladimirs Gabovs and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad7 Dec 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Nikita Ikaunieks and Spartaks agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Words at Spartaks training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Raivis Dubra 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
“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 dugout7 Dec 2026
Olegs Dubra has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Spartaks 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad9 Nov 2026
A fracture rules Janis Tarasovs out for 131 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Spartaks will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Squad9 Nov 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 Spartaks this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Words at Spartaks training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Raivis Cauna 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
Olegs Dubra gets picked when it counts
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 Olegs Dubra is on it.
Squad9 Nov 2026
He is not being dropped. There is simply nowhere in the formation Spartaks are playing to put a man who does what he does, which is a harder thing to be told than any team sheet.
The dugout9 Nov 2026
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Pavels Stolcers trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.