Uefa faces political flashpoint over Sevastopol’s ascent in Russian football

Promotion to third tier for Crimean club would be clear violation of governing body’s rules amid conflict in Ukraine

Uefa and Fifa face a decisive test of their appetite to punish Russia’s integration of teams from illegally occupied Ukrainian territory after FC Sevastopol, from Crimea, won promotion to the country’s professional third tier.

Sevastopol were declared champions of group one in Football National League (FNL) 2B, in effect Russia’s fourth division, last month and are believed to have applied for a licence to compete at the level above. Should it be granted and they proceed to FNL 2A, it would appear a violation of Uefa rules that prohibit Crimean clubs from playing in competitions organised by the Russian Football Union (RFU). The governing body would come under severe pressure to extend sanctions on European football’s pariah state, whose club and national teams are banned from competing in international tournaments.

“Of course, we plan to submit documents,” the Sevastopol CEO Valery Chaly told local media last month. “According to the regulations we should advance to the next stage.” The RFU remains a member of Uefa and Fifa but there would be fresh calls for it to be ejected if Sevastopol’s ascent is not blocked. It is understood no decision about their potential admission has been made.

Football’s governing bodies were given a similar dilemma in 2023 when Sevastopol and another Crimean club, Rubin Yalta, were accepted into FNL 2B even though sides from the occupied territory have not been allowed to compete in Russia since its annexation in 2014.

The Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF) asked Uefa and Fifa to consider ejecting Russia, alleging a “gross violation” of their statutes and Uefa’s ruling, made in 2014, that Crimean clubs must not compete in RFU-run events. Uefa claimed it would assess the situation but the authorities appeared to turn a blind eye, the RFU saying it had created a workaround by making FNL 2B an amateur competition that it did not operate. At the time, several clubs at that level contacted by the Guardian confirmed informally that they were fully professional. No such blurring of the lines exists for FNL 2A, which has never denied its clubs are professional.

That unwillingness to act led to escalation when, in April 2024, an imitation of the Ukrainian club Zorya Luhansk – whose home city in Donbas is illegally occupied by Russia – was admitted to FNL 2B. This year they were joined by a fake Shakhtar Donetsk, mimicking the current Champions League side who have been forced to play elsewhere since 2014. Five of the 15 teams who completed the recent FNL 2B group one season played in or claimed to represent occupied areas, the Simferopol-based club Kyzyltash Bakhchisaray completing the quintet.

Should the RFS decide, of its own accord or under pressure from international bodies, to bar Sevastopol from promotion an even bigger flashpoint may await. The imitation Shakhtar finished runners-up in group 1, securing that spot by winning 2-0 at Sevastopol on the season’s final day last Saturday, and are next in line to go up. Unlike Sevastopol their home matches are played on Russian territory, in Taganrog, rather than an occupied area. The club is, however, registered to an address in Donetsk.

In October 2025 the UAF asked Uefa to review and explain the imitation clubs’ legal positions but, as with any assessment of the Crimean clubs’ participation, the results are still awaited. It warned of a“coordinated political attempt to legitimise the occupation and erase the identity of Ukrainian football”.

Last month Russia competed in a Fifa-run event for the first time since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, finishing 19th in the new under-15 World Cup. Teams at under-15 and under-16 levels have continued to play in smaller Uefa development tournaments, largely against invited opponents on home soil, during the war in Ukraine.

None of Uefa, Fifa, the RFU, the FNL, Sevastopol or the imitation Shakhtar Donetsk offered comment when contacted by the Guardian.