Eastern Europe was the crucible of modern football. Now it’s a wasteland.
Eastern Europe was the crucible of modern football. Now it's a wasteland. Every World Cup winner has been influenced by the wave of great Hungarian coaches scattered across the globe in the aftermath of World War I. Gegenpressing, perhaps the dominant mode of the modern game, has its origins in Soviet Union. Pressing itself was developed by Viktor Maslov, a Russian coach who enjoyed great success at Torpedo Moscow and Dynamo Kyiv.
Corruption, disorganisation and diminished resources dog football in the East. Russia had been a footballing success story, but sanctions have effectively ended Russian investment in foreign clubs. There has been an exodus of foreigners from the Russian league. Russia is cut off, expelled from World Cup and its clubs suspended from UEFA competitions. Gazprom, the state energy company that used to sponsor the Champions League, may invest its resources at home. Russian football will wither in isolation. The country is also cut from FIFA and UEFA. It is not allowed to host international football matches.
Sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine in February have effectively ended Russian investment in foreign clubs.
