1 THE PARIAH LEAGUE
Russian football has been cast far into the wilderness since last February’s invasion of Ukraine, and it seems like it’s been putting players on edge.
The national team have struggled to set up fixtures – Bosnia’s squad refused to play them, so they took on Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan instead.
Title winners Zenit were barred from this season’s Champions League groups, while Spartak Moscow were again not welcome in the Europa League after being thrown out of the last 16 in 2021-22.
Spartak won the 2022 Russian Cup Final with Victor Moses in their side after the Premier League denied him permission to sign for Burnley outside of the transfer window, but frustration got
