From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match9 Jan 2027
9 matches without a win for Kolos
The run now stands at 9, and the questions being asked around Kolos are no longer polite ones.
Squad11 Jan 2027
Eduard Kozik 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 Kolos this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings11 Jan 2027
Successful dribbles: 18. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad11 Jan 2027
“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.
Squad11 Jan 2027
Anton Salabai knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Anton Salabai trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Match9 Jan 2027
Kolos draw a blank against Rukh
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Rukh defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
Player ratings11 Jan 2027
The one thing Anton Salabai could not do
Shots: 6, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
Squad11 Jan 2027
Yurii Klymchuk is not enjoying his job description
Played out of position, hooked on the hour, asked to be somebody he is not — the details vary and the mood does not. Kolos have a player doing his work under protest.
Market11 Jan 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Artem Cheliadin’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match2 Jan 2027
The wait goes on for Kolos
8 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Market4 Jan 2027
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Daniil Khrypchuk will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Kolos the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Tempers go at Kolos
Eduard Kozik 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.
Squad4 Jan 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Anton Salabai, and the manager let it.
Match2 Jan 2027
Dynamo Kyiv left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Player ratings4 Jan 2027
Successful dribbles: 14. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Player ratings4 Jan 2027
Marked 4.81, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.
Player ratings4 Jan 2027
Shots: 7, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
Market4 Jan 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Kolos know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market28 Dec 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Kolos can pretend not to have heard.
Match26 Dec 2026
7 matches without a win for Kolos
The run now stands at 7, and the questions being asked around Kolos are no longer polite ones.
Player ratings28 Dec 2026
Successful dribbles: 26. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad28 Dec 2026
Eduard Kozik 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 Kolos this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match26 Dec 2026
Metalist left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad28 Dec 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Danyil Alefirenko, and the manager let it.
Boardroom28 Dec 2026
Wages eat 102% of everything Kolos earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Player ratings28 Dec 2026
Shots: 7. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.
Squad28 Dec 2026
Lucio Falasco 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 Kolos, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Player ratings21 Dec 2026
Successful dribbles: 30. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match19 Dec 2026
6 matches without a win for Kolos
The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Kolos are no longer polite ones.
Squad21 Dec 2026
The medical room confirms 142 days on the sidelines for Taras Stepanenko, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad21 Dec 2026
Tempers go at Kolos
Artem Cheliadin 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.
Squad21 Dec 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Ibrahim Kané, and the manager let it.
Player ratings21 Dec 2026
A performance of 8.43 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad21 Dec 2026
The medical room confirms 30 days on the sidelines for Oleksandr Haiduk, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Match19 Dec 2026
Kolos share the spoils with Veres
A 1‑1 draw with Veres leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
The terraces21 Dec 2026
Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match12 Dec 2026
The wait goes on for Kolos
5 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Player ratings14 Dec 2026
Defensive actions: 26, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Player ratings14 Dec 2026
Successful dribbles: 22. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad14 Dec 2026
Eduard Kozik 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 Kolos this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings14 Dec 2026
Defensive actions: 19, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Player ratings14 Dec 2026
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 19 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad14 Dec 2026
Ardit Tahiri gets it from the manager
“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.
Match12 Dec 2026
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Poltava will be the happier side with the point.
Squad14 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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match5 Dec 2026
4 matches without a win for Kolos
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Kolos are no longer polite ones.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Tempers go at Kolos
Artem Cheliadin 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.
Match5 Dec 2026
Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad7 Dec 2026
The manager makes an example of Anton Salabai
“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.
Player ratings7 Dec 2026
Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad7 Dec 2026
A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.
Player ratings7 Dec 2026
One lapse, one goal, and ninety minutes of honest work counting for nothing. That is the job at Kolos, and it is a cruel one.
Squad7 Dec 2026
26 years old, every age group at this club behind him, and a borrowed player of much the same standard in front of him every Saturday. The parents in the stand have noticed, and so has every kid below him.
Player ratings7 Dec 2026
Shots: 6, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market30 Nov 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Kolos can pretend not to have heard.
Player ratings30 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 29. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad30 Nov 2026
Eduard Kozik 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 Kolos this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match28 Nov 2026
Oleksandriya left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Boardroom30 Nov 2026
Wages eat 132% of everything Kolos earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Squad30 Nov 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match21 Nov 2026
9 unbeaten for Kolos
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 9 matches without defeat is a foundation Kolos did not have in the autumn.
Player ratings23 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 23. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad23 Nov 2026
Tempers go at Kolos
Eduard Kozik 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.
Player ratings23 Nov 2026
A performance of 8.31 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad23 Nov 2026
The manager makes an example of Jonathan Segura
“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.
Match21 Nov 2026
1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match14 Nov 2026
8 unbeaten for Kolos
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 8 matches without defeat is a foundation Kolos did not have in the autumn.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Eduard Kozik 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 Kolos this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad16 Nov 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Ivan Pakholiuk, and the manager let it.
Player ratings16 Nov 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.72, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Match14 Nov 2026
1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Player ratings16 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 13. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings16 Nov 2026
Shots: 10, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Ibrahim Kané joins up with his country. Kolos lose him for the window and would like him back in one piece.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Eduard Kozik joins up with his country. Kolos lose him for the window and would like him back in one piece.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Player ratings9 Nov 2026
Defensive actions: 24, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Match7 Nov 2026
7 unbeaten for Kolos
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 7 matches without defeat is a foundation Kolos did not have in the autumn.
Player ratings9 Nov 2026
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 23 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Tempers go at Kolos
Eduard Kozik 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.
Player ratings9 Nov 2026
Marked 8.82 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings9 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match7 Nov 2026
Kolos get the job done against Obolon
A 1‑0 win over Obolon, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad9 Nov 2026
The manager makes an example of Mykyta Burda
“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.
Market9 Nov 2026
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Kolos know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market2 Nov 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Kolos can pretend not to have heard.
Player ratings2 Nov 2026
Defensive actions: 23. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Match31 Oct 2026
6 unbeaten for Kolos
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 6 matches without defeat is a foundation Kolos did not have in the autumn.
Match31 Oct 2026
A 1‑0 win over Polissia, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Boardroom2 Nov 2026
Wages eat 132% of everything Kolos earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Squad2 Nov 2026
Tempers go at Kolos
Lucio Falasco 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.
Squad2 Nov 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.
Player ratings2 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 16. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad2 Nov 2026
A wage question at Kolos
Arinaldo Rrapaj has done the arithmetic and does not like the answer. Nothing corrodes a squad faster, and no club has ever solved it by explaining the wage structure to a footballer.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad26 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.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Tempers go at Kolos
Eduard Kozik 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.
Player ratings26 Oct 2026
Defensive actions: 19, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Player ratings26 Oct 2026
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 18 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad26 Oct 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.
Player ratings26 Oct 2026
Some games turn on a moment; this one turned on a man. 7.69 on the card, and the Kolos support went home talking about one name.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 24. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad19 Oct 2026
“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; Kolos are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Squad19 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 Kolos this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match17 Oct 2026
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Lucio Falasco. 1‑0 against Karpaty, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 17 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
Some games turn on a moment; this one turned on a man. 7.76 on the card, and the Kolos support went home talking about one name.
Squad19 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.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Ardit Tahiri 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.
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
He was not in the side at half past three and he had settled it before five. Half an hour, and Kolos had a different afternoon.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad12 Oct 2026
Tempers go at Kolos
Eduard Kozik 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.
Match10 Oct 2026
Kolos get the job done against Zorya
A 2‑1 win over Zorya, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Player ratings12 Oct 2026
Marked 8.31 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings12 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 17. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad12 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.
Squad12 Oct 2026
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Kolos have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad5 Oct 2026
There were 9 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.
Market5 Oct 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.
Match3 Oct 2026
The wait goes on for Kolos
4 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Eduard Kozik 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 Kolos this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom5 Oct 2026
Wages eat 208% of everything Kolos earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Player ratings5 Oct 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.00, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings5 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 17. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad5 Oct 2026
The manager makes an example of Jonathan Segura
“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.
Player ratings5 Oct 2026
A mark of 3.10 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings28 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 27. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Tempers go at Kolos
Eduard Kozik 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.
Squad28 Sep 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.
Player ratings28 Sep 2026
Marked 8.31 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Match26 Sep 2026
Kolos share the spoils with Rukh
A 1‑1 draw with Rukh leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Ibrahim Kané 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
Crisis
Squad21 Sep 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Squad21 Sep 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 Kolos this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad21 Sep 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.
Match19 Sep 2026
Dynamo Kyiv left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 16. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Ibrahim Kané 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 Kolos, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market14 Sep 2026
Kolos say no — this time
The offer from Ahrobiznes for Viktor Tryhub 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.
Squad14 Sep 2026
Tempers go at Kolos
Artem Cheliadin 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.
Squad14 Sep 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Ardit Tahiri, and the manager let it.
Match12 Sep 2026
A bad afternoon for Kolos against Metalist
0‑1 to Metalist, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad14 Sep 2026
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Ivan Pakholiuk knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market7 Sep 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Kolos can pretend not to have heard.
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
Defensive actions: 31. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Market7 Sep 2026
The paperwork is done: Valerii Sad joins from Poltava in a deal worth $270.0K. Now comes the harder part.
Squad7 Sep 2026
Eduard Kozik 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 Kolos this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market7 Sep 2026
Dmytro Matsapura has left for LNZ in a $260.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.
Boardroom7 Sep 2026
215% of the income goes out in wages at Kolos
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Match5 Sep 2026
Kolos get the job done against Veres
A 2‑0 win over Veres, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
A performance of 8.73 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad7 Sep 2026
The medical room confirms 16 days on the sidelines for Mykyta Burda, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 36 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Match26 Aug 2026
The small margins put Kolos out
Out, 1‑1 to Chernihiv, and the long argument about which of the small moments decided it. The league is all there is now, and everybody knows it.
Market31 Aug 2026
Kolos say no — this time
The offer from Veres for Anton Salabai 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.
Market31 Aug 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.
Market31 Aug 2026
Dynamo Kyiv pay $1.6M, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.
Market31 Aug 2026
Business is business: Nika Gagnidze goes
Zorya paid $770.0K and Kolos took it, which is the whole story in one sentence. The longer version involves a wage budget and will be told all season.
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match29 Aug 2026
It finished 1‑0, and it was Anton Salabai’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Kolos.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Tempers go at Kolos
Andriy Tsurikov 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
Crisis
Market24 Aug 2026
Rukh come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Kolos did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Market24 Aug 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Kolos can pretend not to have heard.
Match22 Aug 2026
No end in sight to Kolos's wait for a win
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Kolos has to find a result from somewhere.
Market24 Aug 2026
Elias Telles has left for Metalist in a $430.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.
Squad24 Aug 2026
Eduard Kozik 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 Kolos this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match22 Aug 2026
A bad afternoon for Kolos against Shakhtar
0‑1 to Shakhtar, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad24 Aug 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.
Player ratings24 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 15. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad24 Aug 2026
Valentyn Morhun 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
Market17 Aug 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Kolos can pretend not to have heard.
Market17 Aug 2026
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 23. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Tempers go at Kolos
Anton Salabai 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.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
Defensive actions: 22, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Squad17 Aug 2026
The manager makes an example of Arinaldo Rrapaj
“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.
Market17 Aug 2026
The Elias Telles conversation is coming
Everyone has stopped pretending: Metalist will make the call about Elias Telles this week. Kolos have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.
Squad17 Aug 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 Kolos, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market10 Aug 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Kolos can pretend not to have heard.
The terraces10 Aug 2026
The boos come down from three sides
“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 8 of the 26 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Squad10 Aug 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Anton Salabai commits to Kolos for another 3 years.
Squad10 Aug 2026
Tempers go at Kolos
Anton Salabai 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.
Market10 Aug 2026
Metalist paid $570.0K and Kolos took it, which is the whole story in one sentence. The longer version involves a wage budget and will be told all season.
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 21. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match8 Aug 2026
Anton Salabai scored, and precious little else went right: 1‑3 to Epicentr, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.
Squad10 Aug 2026
The manager makes an example of Yurii Klymchuk
“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.
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
Ten men and a goalkeeper behind him, and it still finished in the net. He knew before anybody told him, and nobody at Kolos needed to.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market3 Aug 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.
Squad3 Aug 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Taras Stepanenko commits to Kolos for another 2 years.
Squad3 Aug 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 Kolos this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad3 Aug 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Ivan Pakholiuk, and the manager let it.
Player ratings3 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 18. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market3 Aug 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.
Market3 Aug 2026
The clock runs on Yurii Klymchuk's contract
49 months left and silence from upstairs — no offer, no talks, nothing for his people to answer. Clubs that let a calendar do their negotiating usually end up negotiating with the calendar.
Player ratings3 Aug 2026
A mark of 7.62, and nobody in the ground would argue with it. He was involved in everything that mattered and most of what did not.
Player ratings3 Aug 2026
Defensive actions: 15, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.