From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market27 Nov 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.
Squad27 Nov 2028
An average of 7.10 in a first team he is several years too young for. Niva have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Squad27 Nov 2028
Tempers go at Niva
Artem Kuratnik 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
Uneasy
Squad20 Nov 2028
Artem Kholyusev: 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.” Niva have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad20 Nov 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad20 Nov 2028
Maxim Mitskevich 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
Market13 Nov 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Niva can pretend not to have heard.
Squad13 Nov 2028
Tempers go at Niva
Artem Kuratnik 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.
Squad13 Nov 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Gleb Soldatenkov, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market6 Nov 2028
Nichita Josan 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 Niva can pretend not to have heard.
Squad6 Nov 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad6 Nov 2028
Ivan Struk is the real thing at 21
A season average of 7.05 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Niva know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad30 Oct 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.
Squad30 Oct 2028
An average of 7.10 in a first team he is several years too young for. Niva have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Squad30 Oct 2028
Tempers go at Niva
Artem Kuratnik 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
Squad23 Oct 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad23 Oct 2028
“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.
Squad23 Oct 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Niva, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market16 Oct 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.
Squad16 Oct 2028
Tempers go at Niva
Artem Kuratnik 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.
Squad16 Oct 2028
Nikita Kukhtik 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
Squad9 Oct 2028
Ivan Struk is the real thing at 20
A season average of 7.05 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Niva know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Squad9 Oct 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad9 Oct 2028
Nikita Kukhtik 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 Nikita Kukhtik trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad2 Oct 2028
He is 21, he is averaging 7.10, and older professionals have started passing to him in the difficult minutes. That last part is the real scouting report.
Squad2 Oct 2028
Tempers go at Niva
Artem Kuratnik 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 Oct 2028
The manager makes an example of Artem Kholyusev
“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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad25 Sep 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad25 Sep 2028
Nichita Josan 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 Nichita Josan trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Squad25 Sep 2028
The manager plants his flag on Artem Kuratnik
“Judge me on him.” Managers do not say that kind of thing by accident — it moves the pressure from Artem Kuratnik’s shoulders onto his own, and both of them know it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad18 Sep 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.
Squad18 Sep 2028
Tempers go at Niva
Artem Kuratnik 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.
Squad18 Sep 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Niva, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market11 Sep 2028
The deal that would have taken Gleb Soldatenkov to Isloch has collapsed at the last stage, and he reports back to Niva with a summer to forget and a season still to play. Nobody is saying which side walked away.
Squad11 Sep 2028
Ivan Struk is the real thing at 20
A season average of 7.05 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Niva know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Squad11 Sep 2028
Tempers go at Niva
Artem Kuratnik 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.
Squad11 Sep 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Alvis Ikaunieks, and the manager let it.
Market11 Sep 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Vladimir Skomarovskiy signs something — a contract at Niva or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Market11 Sep 2028
Niva have made Gleb Soldatenkov available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market4 Sep 2028
“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 Niva, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market4 Sep 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Niva is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad4 Sep 2028
Alvis Ikaunieks: 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.” Niva have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market28 Aug 2028
“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 Niva, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match26 Aug 2028
Whatever happens, Niva do not lose
7 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.
Squad28 Aug 2028
Tempers go at Niva
Igor Monich 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.
Market28 Aug 2028
Everyone has stopped pretending: Isloch will make the call about Gleb Soldatenkov this week. Niva have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.
Player ratings28 Aug 2028
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.91, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad28 Aug 2028
Igor Monich 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.
Player ratings28 Aug 2028
Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match26 Aug 2028
Honours even between Niva and Belshina
1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Squad28 Aug 2028
Nikita Dovnar 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
Market21 Aug 2028
“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 Niva, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match19 Aug 2028
Nobody wants to play Niva right now
3 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.
Squad21 Aug 2028
Igor Monich 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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match19 Aug 2028
Three points for Niva, 3‑2 the final word against Orsha in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad21 Aug 2028
“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; Niva are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Player ratings21 Aug 2028
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.82, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings21 Aug 2028
A performance of 8.70 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings21 Aug 2028
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.58, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings21 Aug 2028
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.08, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
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.
Market14 Aug 2028
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad14 Aug 2028
He is 20, he is averaging 7.04, and older professionals have started passing to him in the difficult minutes. That last part is the real scouting report.
Squad14 Aug 2028
Tempers go at Niva
Igor Monich 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 Aug 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Aleksey Sysoev and Niva agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Player ratings14 Aug 2028
Marked 9.12 — 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 ratings14 Aug 2028
A performance of 8.74 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match12 Aug 2028
Lokomotiv Gomel made Niva work for it, but the scoreboard read 1‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad14 Aug 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match5 Aug 2028
Rarely has this fixture seen a display like it: 3‑0 against Ostrovets, and it could have been more.
Market7 Aug 2028
Nikita Dovnar 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 Niva can pretend not to have heard.
Player ratings7 Aug 2028
Defensive actions: 28, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Squad7 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.
Squad7 Aug 2028
Igor Monich 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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad7 Aug 2028
An average of 7.01 in a first team he is several years too young for. Niva have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Squad7 Aug 2028
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Ivan Struk and Niva agree another 4 years.
Player ratings7 Aug 2028
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.12, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings7 Aug 2028
Marked 9.07 — 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match29 Jul 2028
4 matches without a win for Niva
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Niva are no longer polite ones.
Squad31 Jul 2028
Tempers go at Niva
Artem Kuratnik 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.
Market31 Jul 2028
Slavia Mozyr are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Niva will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Player ratings31 Jul 2028
A performance of 8.92 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad31 Jul 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.
Match29 Jul 2028
1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Squad31 Jul 2028
4 goals and a season average of 7.20. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Squad31 Jul 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Niva, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Player ratings31 Jul 2028
Successful dribbles: 10. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad24 Jul 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad24 Jul 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Gleb Soldatenkov, and the manager let it.
Player ratings24 Jul 2028
Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings24 Jul 2028
Defensive actions: 16. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings24 Jul 2028
Shots: 11, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
Match22 Jul 2028
No goals between Niva and Lida
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Lida will be the happier side with the point.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market17 Jul 2028
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Niva they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market17 Jul 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Niva can pretend not to have heard.
Squad17 Jul 2028
At 20, Ivan Struk is already the best thing here
An average of 7.00 in a first team he is several years too young for. Niva have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Squad17 Jul 2028
Tempers go at Niva
Igor Monich 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.
Squad17 Jul 2028
The manager makes an example of Nichita Josan
“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.
Squad17 Jul 2028
Nikita Dovnar 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.
The terraces17 Jul 2028
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.
Player ratings17 Jul 2028
Defensive actions: 13. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Match15 Jul 2028
Point won or two lost for Niva?
Ninety minutes, no goals, and the argument started before the car park emptied: a point gained, or two thrown away against Baranovichi? Both sides of it will still be going on Thursday.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market10 Jul 2028
Nikita Dovnar 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 Niva can pretend not to have heard.
Squad10 Jul 2028
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Artem Perepechko and Niva agree another 4 years.
Squad10 Jul 2028
Igor Monich 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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market10 Jul 2028
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Niva will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Squad10 Jul 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Dmitriy Galuza, and the manager let it.
Match8 Jul 2028
Osipovichi left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Player ratings10 Jul 2028
Ivan Struk runs at them all day
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.
Player ratings10 Jul 2028
The one thing Igor Monich 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.
Squad10 Jul 2028
Nikita Kukhtik 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 Niva, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad3 Jul 2028
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Niva may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad3 Jul 2028
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Igor Monich and Niva agree another 4 years.
Squad3 Jul 2028
Tempers go at Niva
Igor Monich 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 ratings3 Jul 2028
A performance of 9.05 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match1 Jul 2028
It finished 2‑0, and it was Igor Monich’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Niva.
Player ratings3 Jul 2028
Marked 8.51 — 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 ratings3 Jul 2028
Defensive actions: 14, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Squad3 Jul 2028
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
Player ratings3 Jul 2028
Successful dribbles: 11. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market26 Jun 2028
Isloch come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Niva did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Match24 Jun 2028
No end in sight to Niva's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Niva has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad26 Jun 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.
Squad26 Jun 2028
Igor Monich 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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match24 Jun 2028
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Market26 Jun 2028
He is 20, and nobody at Niva signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Squad26 Jun 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Nichita Josan and Niva agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Player ratings26 Jun 2028
Successful dribbles: 14. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad26 Jun 2028
The manager makes an example of Aleksey Sysoev
“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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match17 Jun 2028
The wait goes on for Niva
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.
Squad19 Jun 2028
Tempers go at Niva
Igor Monich 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.
Match17 Jun 2028
6 unbeaten for Niva
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 6 matches without defeat is a foundation Niva did not have in the autumn.
Player ratings19 Jun 2028
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 20 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad19 Jun 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.
Player ratings19 Jun 2028
Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market12 Jun 2028
Nikita Dovnar 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 Niva can pretend not to have heard.
Squad12 Jun 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad12 Jun 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad5 Jun 2028
Tempers go at Niva
Artem Kuratnik 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.
Squad5 Jun 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.
Player ratings5 Jun 2028
Marked 8.46 — 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 ratings5 Jun 2028
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.
Match3 Jun 2028
A 1‑1 draw with Volna Pinsk leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Player ratings5 Jun 2028
5.68 on the card. Some afternoons a footballer looks like a man who has only just been introduced to the game, and this was one of them.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market29 May 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.
Player ratings29 May 2028
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.
Squad29 May 2028
Igor Monich 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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad29 May 2028
The manager makes an example of Dmitriy Galuza
“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 ratings29 May 2028
Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings29 May 2028
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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Player ratings22 May 2028
Ivan Struk runs at them all day
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.
Squad22 May 2028
Tempers go at Niva
Igor Monich 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 ratings22 May 2028
A mark of 7.58, and nobody in the ground would argue with it. He was involved in everything that mattered and most of what did not.
Squad22 May 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Timofey Bogdanchik, and the manager let it.
Match20 May 2028
Point won or two lost for Niva?
Ninety minutes, no goals, and the argument started before the car park emptied: a point gained, or two thrown away against Orsha? Both sides of it will still be going on Thursday.
Squad22 May 2028
Nikita Kukhtik 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 Nikita Kukhtik trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market15 May 2028
Nikita Dovnar 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 Niva can pretend not to have heard.
Squad15 May 2028
Igor Monich 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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings15 May 2028
One of those days for Ivan Struk
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.91, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Match13 May 2028
Three points for Niva, 1‑0 the final word against Lokomotiv Gomel in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Player ratings15 May 2028
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.
Squad15 May 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Artem Gonzhurov, and the manager let it.
Squad15 May 2028
Nikita Dovnar 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 Niva, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Player ratings15 May 2028
Defensive actions: 13, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Squad15 May 2028
Ivan Struk finally opens his account
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Niva have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match6 May 2028
Rarely has this fixture seen a display like it: 3‑0 against Ostrovets, and it could have been more.
Squad8 May 2028
Tempers go at Niva
Igor Monich 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 ratings8 May 2028
Marked 9.44 — 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 ratings8 May 2028
Marked 9.24 — 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 ratings8 May 2028
Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Player ratings8 May 2028
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.57, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad8 May 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.
Squad8 May 2028
Nikita Dovnar 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 Niva, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad8 May 2028
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market1 May 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Niva can pretend not to have heard.
Squad1 May 2028
Igor Monich 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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match29 Apr 2028
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad1 May 2028
“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.
Squad1 May 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Alvis Ikaunieks and Niva agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Player ratings1 May 2028
Nobody could get near Ivan Struk
Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad24 Apr 2028
Tempers go at Niva
Artem Kuratnik 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 ratings24 Apr 2028
Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad24 Apr 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market17 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.
Player ratings17 Apr 2028
Marked 10.00 — 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.
Squad17 Apr 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match15 Apr 2028
Three points for Niva, 3‑1 the final word against Baranovichi in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Player ratings17 Apr 2028
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.97, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad17 Apr 2028
Roman Kozel 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.
Squad17 Apr 2028
Nikita Dovnar lets one through his hands
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.
Squad17 Apr 2028
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
Player ratings17 Apr 2028
Ivan Struk runs at them all day
Successful dribbles: 7. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match8 Apr 2028
12 matches without a win for Niva
The run now stands at 12, and the questions being asked around Niva are no longer polite ones.
Match5 Apr 2028
The small margins put Niva out
Out, 1‑1 to Slavia Mozyr, and the long argument about which of the small moments decided it. The league is all there is now, and everybody knows it.
Player ratings10 Apr 2028
Defensive actions: 23, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Squad10 Apr 2028
Tempers go at Niva
Artem Kuratnik 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 ratings10 Apr 2028
A performance of 8.61 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad10 Apr 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.
Player ratings10 Apr 2028
Marked 8.11 — 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 ratings10 Apr 2028
Twelve yards, a goalkeeper guessing, and it still did not go in. He will take the next one, and every soul in the ground will hold their breath.
Squad10 Apr 2028
Roman Kozel 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
Match1 Apr 2028
The wait goes on for Niva
10 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 ratings3 Apr 2028
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.
Squad3 Apr 2028
Igor Monich 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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad3 Apr 2028
The manager makes an example of Nikita Kukhtik
“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.
Match1 Apr 2028
Point won or two lost for Niva?
Ninety minutes, no goals, and the argument started before the car park emptied: a point gained, or two thrown away against Slonim? Both sides of it will still be going on Thursday.
Player ratings3 Apr 2028
Igor Monich leaves them behind him
Shots: 4. 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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match25 Mar 2028
No end in sight to Niva's wait for a win
9 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Niva has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad27 Mar 2028
Tempers go at Niva
Artem Kuratnik 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.
Match25 Mar 2028
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad27 Mar 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.
Player ratings27 Mar 2028
Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad27 Mar 2028
Nikita Dovnar 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 Nikita Dovnar trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Player ratings27 Mar 2028
Shots: 9, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
Player ratings27 Mar 2028
Marked 5.65, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.
Player ratings27 Mar 2028
Marked 5.74, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match18 Mar 2028
The wait goes on for Niva
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.
Squad20 Mar 2028
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Vladimir Skomarovskiy and Niva agree another 4 years.
Squad20 Mar 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings20 Mar 2028
Ivan Struk runs at them all day
Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match18 Mar 2028
A bad afternoon for Niva against Vitebsk
0‑1 to Vitebsk, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad20 Mar 2028
“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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad13 Mar 2028
Tempers go at Niva
Artem Kuratnik 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.
Squad13 Mar 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Artem Perepechko and Niva agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad13 Mar 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Ivan Kravchenko, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market6 Mar 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.
Match4 Mar 2028
7 matches without a win for Niva
The run now stands at 7, and the questions being asked around Niva are no longer polite ones.
Match4 Mar 2028
Whatever happens, Niva do not lose
11 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.
Market6 Mar 2028
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
Market6 Mar 2028
As if he never left: Pavel Hleb returns
Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Pavel Hleb is a Niva player again, and the town has its story of the summer.
Market6 Mar 2028
As if he never left: Yauhen Rios returns
Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Yauhen Rios is a Niva player again, and the town has its story of the summer.
Squad6 Mar 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad6 Mar 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Dmitriy Galuza, and the manager let it.
Player ratings6 Mar 2028
Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market28 Feb 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Niva can pretend not to have heard.
Market28 Feb 2028
Isloch come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Niva did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Boardroom28 Feb 2028
Pressure builds in the Niva boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Squad28 Feb 2028
Tempers go at Niva
Artem Kuratnik 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 Feb 2028
Dmitriy Galuza 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.
Market28 Feb 2028
The window shut and Roman Kozel is still in the building
Niva spent a month trying to move him and nobody rang back. He trains with a squad that has told him where he stands, and both sides start counting down to the next one.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad21 Feb 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad21 Feb 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Artem Gonzhurov, and the manager let it.
Squad21 Feb 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Niva, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market14 Feb 2028
“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 Niva, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad14 Feb 2028
Tempers go at Niva
Artem Kuratnik 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.
Market14 Feb 2028
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Nikita Dovnar may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market7 Feb 2028
“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 Niva, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad7 Feb 2028
14 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad7 Feb 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market31 Jan 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Niva can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom31 Jan 2028
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Niva
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Squad31 Jan 2028
14 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market24 Jan 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.
Squad24 Jan 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad24 Jan 2028
Roman Kozel 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 Roman Kozel trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market17 Jan 2028
“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 Niva, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad17 Jan 2028
Tempers go at Niva
Artem Kuratnik 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.
Squad17 Jan 2028
Artem Kuratnik 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 Niva, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad10 Jan 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad10 Jan 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Maxim Mitskevich, and the manager let it.
Squad10 Jan 2028
Artem Kuratnik 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
Market3 Jan 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.
Boardroom3 Jan 2028
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Niva
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Squad3 Jan 2028
There are footballers who have a good season and footballers a season is remembered for, and the second kind get their names read out in a hall in the summer. Niva will be quietly delighted and privately nervous.
Squad3 Jan 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad3 Jan 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Ivan Kravchenko, and the manager let it.
Boardroom3 Jan 2028
Niva pull $7.6K back off the table
The money that was there in the summer is not there now. Nobody upstairs calls this a change of ambition, and everybody downstairs reads it as one.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market27 Dec 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 Niva, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad27 Dec 2027
Tempers go at Niva
Artem Kuratnik 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.
Squad27 Dec 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Danila Kashtelyan, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market20 Dec 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.
Squad20 Dec 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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad20 Dec 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Nikita Dovnar, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad13 Dec 2027
Tempers go at Niva
Artem Kuratnik 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.
Squad13 Dec 2027
Nikita Dovnar 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 Niva, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad13 Dec 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.
In brief
-
Squad
Nerves in the Niva squad
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom6 Dec 2027
It is arithmetic now, and the arithmetic is done. A summer of hard questions starts early at Niva, and next season's fixture list reads very differently.
Squad6 Dec 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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad6 Dec 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.
Market6 Dec 2027
He is 18, and the scouting reports agree on the only line that matters: the ceiling. Signings like this are lottery tickets written by professionals.
Squad6 Dec 2027
Roman Kozel 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 Niva, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad6 Dec 2027
Nerves in the Niva squad
Gleb Soldatenkov has been around long enough to know what the spring feels like when it goes wrong, and he can feel it. A dressing room that is frightened plays like one.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad29 Nov 2027
An individual honour is a strange thing in a team game, and the best of them are never argued with. He has had the sort of year that ends with his name being read out, and Niva have had the benefit of it.
Squad29 Nov 2027
Tempers go at Niva
Artem Kuratnik 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.
Squad29 Nov 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match22 Nov 2027
Niva are in real trouble now
Position 14, 23 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Market22 Nov 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 Niva, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad22 Nov 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Niva may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad22 Nov 2027
Tempers go at Niva
Andrey Potapenko 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.
Squad22 Nov 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Maxim Mitskevich, and the manager let it.
Squad22 Nov 2027
Artem Kuratnik 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 Artem Kuratnik trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market15 Nov 2027
Roman Kozel 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 Niva can pretend not to have heard.
Squad15 Nov 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Niva may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad15 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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad8 Nov 2027
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Niva have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad8 Nov 2027
Tempers go at Niva
Andrey Potapenko 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.
Squad8 Nov 2027
Nerves in the Niva squad
Andrey Potapenko has been around long enough to know what the spring feels like when it goes wrong, and he can feel it. A dressing room that is frightened plays like one.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad1 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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Loan watch1 Nov 2027
“I watch every Niva game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Ostrovets runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Squad1 Nov 2027
Nikita Dovnar 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 Nikita Dovnar trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match25 Oct 2027
Niva sink to position 14
23 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market25 Oct 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 Niva, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad25 Oct 2027
21 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market18 Oct 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.
Squad18 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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad18 Oct 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Niva, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad11 Oct 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Ivan Kravchenko, and the manager let it.
Squad11 Oct 2027
Artem Perepechko 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
Squad4 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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad4 Oct 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.
Squad4 Oct 2027
The captaincy has been taken off Roman Kozel. Niva will call it a decision about the team; a dressing room reads it as a verdict on a man.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match27 Sep 2027
Niva sink to position 14
23 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Match25 Sep 2027
10 unbeaten for Niva
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 10 matches without defeat is a foundation Niva did not have in the autumn.
Match25 Sep 2027
The wait goes on for Niva
6 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.
Market27 Sep 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 Niva, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad27 Sep 2027
50 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad27 Sep 2027
Tempers go at Niva
Andrey Potapenko 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.
Squad27 Sep 2027
15 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Player ratings27 Sep 2027
A performance of 8.56 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad27 Sep 2027
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Niva pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market20 Sep 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 Niva, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match18 Sep 2027
Still nobody has beaten Niva
The unbeaten run reaches 9. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Match18 Sep 2027
The wait goes on for Niva
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.
Squad20 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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings20 Sep 2027
Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad20 Sep 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.
Player ratings20 Sep 2027
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 ratings20 Sep 2027
Defensive actions: 16. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad20 Sep 2027
Roman Kozel 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 Roman Kozel trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match11 Sep 2027
Whatever happens, Niva do not lose
8 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.
Match11 Sep 2027
The wait goes on for Niva
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.
Squad13 Sep 2027
Tempers go at Niva
Andrey Potapenko 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.
Squad13 Sep 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Nikita Dovnar, and the manager let it.
Player ratings13 Sep 2027
A performance of 8.50 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings13 Sep 2027
A performance of 8.23 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match11 Sep 2027
2‑2, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Squad13 Sep 2027
Nerves in the Niva squad
Roman Kozel has been around long enough to know what the spring feels like when it goes wrong, and he can feel it. A dressing room that is frightened plays like one.
Player ratings13 Sep 2027
Successful dribbles: 9. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad6 Sep 2027
There were 7 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.
Squad6 Sep 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.
Match4 Sep 2027
7 unbeaten for Niva
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 7 matches without defeat is a foundation Niva did not have in the autumn.
Squad6 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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad6 Sep 2027
The manager makes an example of Roman Kozel
“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.
Loan watch6 Sep 2027
“I did not go to Ostrovets to sit and watch. I want to come back to Niva and fight for my place.” 20 appearances in 29 matches say the rest.
Match4 Sep 2027
Niva share the spoils with Gomel
A 1‑1 draw with Gomel leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Player ratings6 Sep 2027
Shots: 5, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
Market6 Sep 2027
“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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match30 Aug 2027
Niva sink to position 13
19 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market30 Aug 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Niva can pretend not to have heard.
Squad30 Aug 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.
Squad30 Aug 2027
The medical room confirms 79 days on the sidelines for Roman Kozel, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad30 Aug 2027
Tempers go at Niva
Andrey Potapenko 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.
Squad30 Aug 2027
The medical room confirms 43 days on the sidelines for Nikita Kukhtik, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Match28 Aug 2027
6 unbeaten for Niva
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 6 matches without defeat is a foundation Niva did not have in the autumn.
Player ratings30 Aug 2027
Marked 8.60 — 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 ratings30 Aug 2027
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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market23 Aug 2027
Roman Kozel 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 Niva can pretend not to have heard.
Squad23 Aug 2027
Tempers go at Niva
Artem Kuratnik 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.
Squad23 Aug 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Nikita Solomatin, and the manager let it.
Player ratings23 Aug 2027
Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad23 Aug 2027
Artem Kuratnik 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.
Match21 Aug 2027
Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Arsenal Dzerzhinsk came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad16 Aug 2027
He is 20, he is averaging 7.00, and older professionals have started passing to him in the difficult minutes. That last part is the real scouting report.
Squad16 Aug 2027
Tempers go at Niva
Andrey Potapenko 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.
Squad16 Aug 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Maxim Mitskevich, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad9 Aug 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 10 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Market9 Aug 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 Niva, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad9 Aug 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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad9 Aug 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Nikita Kukhtik commits to Niva for another 4 years.
Player ratings9 Aug 2027
Marked 9.16 — 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.
Match7 Aug 2027
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Andrey Potapenko. 2‑0 against BATE, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Squad9 Aug 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.
Player ratings9 Aug 2027
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.
Player ratings9 Aug 2027
Defensive actions: 11. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match31 Jul 2027
No end in sight to Niva's wait for a win
18 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Niva has to find a result from somewhere.
Match2 Aug 2027
Every point is an argument now for Niva
Position 14 and 14 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
Market2 Aug 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Niva can pretend not to have heard.
Squad2 Aug 2027
The medical room confirms 107 days on the sidelines for Roman Kozel, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad2 Aug 2027
Tempers go at Niva
Andrey Potapenko 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 Aug 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Nikita Kukhtik commits to Niva for another 4 years.
Squad2 Aug 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.
Player ratings2 Aug 2027
A performance of 8.15 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match31 Jul 2027
It finished 2‑2, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match24 Jul 2027
The wait goes on for Niva
17 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.
Squad26 Jul 2027
Tempers go at Niva
Igor Monich 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 Jul 2027
A performance of 8.62 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad26 Jul 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.
Match24 Jul 2027
Niva and Belshina take a point apiece
It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Squad26 Jul 2027
Nikita Dovnar 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 Niva, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match17 Jul 2027
No end in sight to Niva's wait for a win
16 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Niva has to find a result from somewhere.
Market19 Jul 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.
Squad19 Jul 2027
He is 20, he is averaging 7.03, and older professionals have started passing to him in the difficult minutes. That last part is the real scouting report.
Squad19 Jul 2027
Igor Monich 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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings19 Jul 2027
Successful dribbles: 21. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad19 Jul 2027
The manager makes an example of Igor Monich
“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 ratings19 Jul 2027
Marked 8.54 — 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.
Market19 Jul 2027
He is 16, and nobody at Niva signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Match17 Jul 2027
It needed Artem Kuratnik to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Naftan, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match10 Jul 2027
The wait goes on for Niva
15 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.
Market12 Jul 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Niva can pretend not to have heard.
Squad12 Jul 2027
Tempers go at Niva
Igor Monich 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 Jul 2027
Niva come up short against Isloch
Isloch left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Player ratings12 Jul 2027
Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad12 Jul 2027
Roman Kozel 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.
Market12 Jul 2027
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Niva, another week without a signature from Artem Perepechko.
Squad12 Jul 2027
“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Niva will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
Squad12 Jul 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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match3 Jul 2027
14 matches without a win for Niva
The run now stands at 14, and the questions being asked around Niva are no longer polite ones.
Match5 Jul 2027
Niva are in real trouble now
Position 15, 11 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Market5 Jul 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.
Squad5 Jul 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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad5 Jul 2027
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.
Match3 Jul 2027
Slutsk take the points off Niva
Beaten 1‑3, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad5 Jul 2027
The manager makes an example of Nikita Kukhtik
“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 Jul 2027
Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Loan watch5 Jul 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Niva, and 13 appearances in 20 say he has earned the hearing.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match26 Jun 2027
No end in sight to Niva's wait for a win
13 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Niva has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad28 Jun 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 7 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Squad28 Jun 2027
Tempers go at Niva
Artem Kuratnik 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 ratings28 Jun 2027
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.
Squad28 Jun 2027
The manager makes an example of Artem Gonzhurov
“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
Dmitriy Galuza 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 Niva, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Player ratings28 Jun 2027
Igor Monich leaves them behind him
Shots: 6. 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.
Match26 Jun 2027
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Dinamo Minsk will be the happier side with the point.
Player ratings28 Jun 2027
Successful dribbles: 9. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match19 Jun 2027
No end in sight to Niva's wait for a win
12 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Niva has to find a result from somewhere.
Market21 Jun 2027
The unthinkable, invoiced: Dmitriy Sibilev sold
Slavia Mozyr arrived with $310.0K and left with the best player in the building. The board will call it business; the queue at the ticket office will use other words.
Market21 Jun 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.
The terraces21 Jun 2027
The boos come down from three sides
“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 5 of the 20 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Squad21 Jun 2027
Igor Monich 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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match19 Jun 2027
A bad afternoon for Niva against Neman
1‑3 to Neman, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad21 Jun 2027
Roman Kozel 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.
Squad21 Jun 2027
Dmitriy Galuza 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 ratings21 Jun 2027
Successful dribbles: 12. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match12 Jun 2027
11 matches without a win for Niva
The run now stands at 11, and the questions being asked around Niva are no longer polite ones.
Squad14 Jun 2027
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.
Squad14 Jun 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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad14 Jun 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.
Player ratings14 Jun 2027
The afternoon belonged to Roman Kozel
A mark of 7.66, and nobody in the ground would argue with it. He was involved in everything that mattered and most of what did not.
Player ratings14 Jun 2027
Successful dribbles: 14. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match5 Jun 2027
10 matches without a win for Niva
The run now stands at 10, and the questions being asked around Niva are no longer polite ones.
Match2 Jun 2027
The cup run ends for Niva
0‑3 against BATE, and the road stops here. Cup exits are quick deaths — no second leg, no next week, just the league from now until May.
Match7 Jun 2027
Niva sink to position 13
9 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market7 Jun 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 Niva, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad7 Jun 2027
Tempers go at Niva
Dmitriy Sibilev 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 ratings7 Jun 2027
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad7 Jun 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Nikita Dovnar, and the manager let it.
Player ratings7 Jun 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.39, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Boardroom7 Jun 2027
Nobody left the Niva dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market31 May 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 Niva, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match29 May 2027
8 matches without a win for Niva
The run now stands at 8, and the questions being asked around Niva are no longer polite ones.
Squad31 May 2027
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.
Squad31 May 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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad31 May 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.
Player ratings31 May 2027
A performance of 8.28 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match22 May 2027
No end in sight to Niva's wait for a win
7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Niva has to find a result from somewhere.
Market24 May 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Niva can pretend not to have heard.
Squad24 May 2027
Igor Monich 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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match22 May 2027
Gomel take the points off Niva
Beaten 2‑3, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Player ratings24 May 2027
Marked 8.81 — 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 ratings24 May 2027
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.
Player ratings24 May 2027
Nobody's fault and entirely his: a goal that goes into the book with his name against it and nothing about it intended. Niva deserved better, and so did he.
Squad24 May 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.
Squad24 May 2027
Every debut is a small story about the future: Maksim Martynovich, 15 years old, off the academy pitches and into the first team. The parents in the stand will keep the programme.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match15 May 2027
The wait goes on for Niva
6 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.
Squad17 May 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Niva may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad17 May 2027
Tempers go at Niva
Artem Kuratnik 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.
Match15 May 2027
Niva come up short against Minsk
Minsk left with the points after a 1‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Player ratings17 May 2027
Marked 8.72 — 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.
Squad17 May 2027
The manager makes an example of Artem Kuratnik
“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.
Squad17 May 2027
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
Player ratings17 May 2027
Successful dribbles: 12. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Player ratings17 May 2027
Marked 5.76, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match10 May 2027
Every point is an argument now for Niva
Position 13 and 7 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
Market10 May 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 Niva, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match8 May 2027
No end in sight to Niva's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Niva has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad10 May 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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match8 May 2027
0‑1 to Arsenal Dzerzhinsk, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad10 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.
Squad10 May 2027
Dmitriy Galuza 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 Niva, and both men came out saying it was fine.
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 Niva, another week without a signature from Artem Perepechko.
Player ratings10 May 2027
Shots: 5, 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
Uneasy
Market3 May 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Niva can pretend not to have heard.
Squad3 May 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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Loan watch3 May 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Niva, and 5 appearances in 11 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad3 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.
Squad3 May 2027
Dmitriy Galuza 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.
Market3 May 2027
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces26 Apr 2027
The ground has had enough
“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 5 of the 21 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.
Market26 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.
Match24 Apr 2027
4 matches without a win for Niva
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Niva are no longer polite ones.
Squad26 Apr 2027
Tempers go at Niva
Dmitriy Sibilev 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.
Match24 Apr 2027
BATE take the points off Niva
Beaten 2‑3, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad26 Apr 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.
Player ratings26 Apr 2027
A performance of 8.07 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings26 Apr 2027
Successful dribbles: 14. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad26 Apr 2027
Dmitriy Sibilev 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
Squad19 Apr 2027
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.
Squad19 Apr 2027
Tempers go at Niva
Dmitriy Sibilev 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.
Squad19 Apr 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Artem Kuratnik, and the manager let it.
Boardroom19 Apr 2027
101% of the income goes out in wages at Niva
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.
Squad19 Apr 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Dmitriy Sibilev trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Player ratings19 Apr 2027
Successful dribbles: 12. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market12 Apr 2027
Roman Kozel 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 Niva can pretend not to have heard.
Squad12 Apr 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Niva may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad12 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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings12 Apr 2027
Successful dribbles: 14. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad12 Apr 2027
Artem Kuratnik 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.
Squad12 Apr 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match31 Mar 2027
Cup progress for Niva
A 1‑0 win over Isloch, a place in the next round, and the quiet arithmetic every supporter does on the walk home: how many more until a final?
Market5 Apr 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Niva can pretend not to have heard.
Squad5 Apr 2027
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 ratings5 Apr 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 24 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad5 Apr 2027
Igor Monich 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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings5 Apr 2027
Defensive actions: 20, 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 ratings5 Apr 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.
Player ratings5 Apr 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.03, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad5 Apr 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Maxim Mitskevich, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market29 Mar 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 Niva, and it is not being withdrawn.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
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.
Squad29 Mar 2027
Tempers go at Niva
Artem Kuratnik 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.
Match27 Mar 2027
A bad afternoon for Niva against Isloch
0‑2 to Isloch, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad29 Mar 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.
Squad29 Mar 2027
Nikita Kukhtik 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 Nikita Kukhtik trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
5.59 on the card. Some afternoons a footballer looks like a man who has only just been introduced to the game, and this was one of them.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
A mark of 5.76 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
5.74 on the card. Some afternoons a footballer looks like a man who has only just been introduced to the game, and this was one of them.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad22 Mar 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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings22 Mar 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.02, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Boardroom22 Mar 2027
Wages eat 166% of everything Niva 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 ratings22 Mar 2027
A performance of 8.69 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings22 Mar 2027
A performance of 8.60 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad22 Mar 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Nikita Kukhtik, and the manager let it.
Match20 Mar 2027
Honours even between Niva and Slutsk
3‑3, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Loan watch22 Mar 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Niva, and 1 appearances in 5 say he has earned the hearing.
Player ratings22 Mar 2027
Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market15 Mar 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 Niva, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad15 Mar 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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match13 Mar 2027
Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad15 Mar 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.
Player ratings15 Mar 2027
Marked 8.13 — 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 ratings15 Mar 2027
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.
Squad15 Mar 2027
Dmitriy Galuza 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 Niva, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market15 Mar 2027
“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.
Player ratings15 Mar 2027
Marked 5.72, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market8 Mar 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Niva can pretend not to have heard.
Market8 Mar 2027
The shirt still fits. Eduard Klimovich is back at Niva, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Market8 Mar 2027
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
Market8 Mar 2027
The shirt still fits. Uladzimir Malevich is back at Niva, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Squad8 Mar 2027
Tempers go at Niva
Dmitriy Sibilev 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 ratings8 Mar 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.92, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Match6 Mar 2027
Three points for Niva, 1‑0 the final word against Neman in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Player ratings8 Mar 2027
Marked 8.32 — 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.
Squad8 Mar 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Timofey Bogdanchik, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market1 Mar 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 Niva, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad1 Mar 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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad1 Mar 2027
The manager makes an example of Dmitriy Sibilev
“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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad22 Feb 2027
Tempers go at Niva
Dmitriy Sibilev 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.
Boardroom22 Feb 2027
Wages eat 172% of everything Niva 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.
Squad22 Feb 2027
Nikita Dovnar 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
Steady
Squad15 Feb 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Roman Kozel and Niva agree another 3 years.
Squad15 Feb 2027
Tempers go at Niva
Igor Monich 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.
Squad15 Feb 2027
The manager makes an example of Artem Gonzhurov
“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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad8 Feb 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Vladimir Skomarovskiy and Niva agree another 4 years.
Squad8 Feb 2027
Tempers go at Niva
Dmitriy Galuza 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.
Squad8 Feb 2027
18 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market1 Feb 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Niva can pretend not to have heard.
Squad1 Feb 2027
Tempers go at Niva
Artem Kuratnik 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.
Squad1 Feb 2027
The medical room confirms 15 days on the sidelines for Alexandr Martysevich, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad25 Jan 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.
Squad25 Jan 2027
Tempers go at Niva
Dmitriy Sibilev 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.
Squad25 Jan 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Roman Kozel, and the manager let it.
In brief
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Boardroom
129% of the income goes out in wages at Niva
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Squad
Artem Kholyusev knocks on the manager's door
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad18 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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad18 Jan 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Gleb Soldatenkov, and the manager let it.
Squad18 Jan 2027
Roman Kozel 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 Roman Kozel trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad11 Jan 2027
Tempers go at Niva
Dmitriy Sibilev 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.
Squad11 Jan 2027
48 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad11 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
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 Niva this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Igor Monich 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 Igor Monich trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market4 Jan 2027
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.