Football in Crimea
Football in Crimea has been governed by the Crimean Football Union since 2015. Prior to the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, football in Crimea was governed by the Football Federation of Ukraine and clubs participated in the Ukrainian leagues. After the events of March 2014, Crimean clubs tried to join the Russian league system but this was objected to by the Ukrainian football authorities. The solution promoted by UEFA was that Crimea should become a 'special zone', under a Crimean Football Union.[1]
The top league in Crimea today is the Crimean Premier League which has 8 teams. At present, Crimean football clubs have no access to European competitions.[2][3][4][5][6]
History
At the time of the first establishment of an official football governing body in Russia - 19 January 1912 – Crimea was part of the Russian Empire. The all-Russian Football Union went on to join FIFA on 30 June 1912 until the formation of the USSR led to responsibility being passed to the USSR Football Federation. The decision to transfer Crimea to the Ukrainian SSR in 1954 meant that when Ukraine declared independence from the USSR in 1991, the Football Federation of Ukraine was responsible for football in Crimea.
In the first season of the newly formed Ukrainian Premier League, a team from Crimea - SC Tavriya Simferopol - won the championship.
Despite the Russian annexation of Crimea in March 2014, the teams from Crimea, Sevastopol and Tavriya Simferopol, continued to participate in the Ukrainian Premier League until the end of the season.[7] However, they were then disbanded and reformed under Russian laws, seeking to join the Russian league system for the 2014/15 season. Three Crimean clubs finally briefly joined a Russian regional division, but they were expelled after UEFA ruled against the move.
In March 2015, UEFA announced that it would treat Crimea as a “special zone,” as neither Russian nor Ukrainian, and that it would help Crimea develop its own soccer system. In return, Russia agreed that the Crimean clubs would not ask to play in European competitions for at least two years.
References
- ↑ "UEFA-backed Crimean league begins following 2014 annexation by Russia". espnfc.co.uk. 23 August 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- ↑ "UEFA-backed league starts play in Crimea". Yahoo Sports. 23 August 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- ↑ Futbolgrad. "Crimea - Professional Football Returns - Futbolgrad". Futbolgrad. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- ↑ "UEFA Appears Prepared to Allow League in Crimea". The New York Times. 23 May 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- ↑ "A Crimean league? Football caught up in annexation struggle". the Guardian. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- ↑ "Premier League (Crimea) 2015/2016". flashscore.com. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- ↑ Rogovitskiy, Dmitriy (24 March 2014). "Mutko expects top Crimean clubs to play in Russia". Reuters. Retrieved 5 April 2016.