The Donetsk People's Republic football team was a team representing the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), a disputed Russian republic in eastern Ukraine.[a] The team was not affiliated with FIFA or UEFA and therefore cannot compete for the FIFA World Cup or the UEFA European Championship. Occasionally, the DPR team has been a member of CONIFA, although it currently was not as of November 2022.
 | |||
| Association | Football Union of the Donetsk People's Republic (Футбольный союз Донецкой Народной Республики)[citation needed] | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Confederation | CONIFA (previously) | ||
| Head coach | Arsen Isakov[citation needed] | ||
| Home stadium | Metalurh Stadium (Donetsk)[citation needed] | ||
| |||
| First international | |||
 Abkhazia 1–0 Donetsk PR  (Sukhumi; 14 May 2015) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
Donetsk PR 4–1 Luhansk PR  (Donetsk; 8 August 2015)[citation needed] | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
| Luhansk PR 3–1 Donetsk PR (Luhansk; 19 September 2015)[citation needed] | |||
| CONIFA European Football Cup | |||
| Appearances | 0 | ||
| Website | www | ||
History
edit
The team was founded on 25 July 2015, playing Abkhazia in their first game.[1] The DPR team took part in the 2018 CONIFA World Football Cup qualification but failed to make it through to the finals. Sascha Düerkop, general secretary of CONIFA, stated that he did not agree with the DPR team politically — comparing them negatively with the Chagossians — but that "that was not the point" and they were allowed to compete.[2] CONIFA were criticized for supporting "Russia-backed separatism."[3] The DPR team was scheduled to take part in the 2019 CONIFA European Football Cup but later withdrew.[4][5]
Notable players
editFixtures and results
editWin Draw Loss
| 14 May 2015 Friendly | Abkhazia | 1–0 | Donetsk PR | Sukhumi, Abkhazia |
| 8 August 2015 Friendly | Donetsk PR | 4–1 | Luhansk PR | Donetsk, Donetsk People's Republic |
| 19 Sept. 2015 Friendly | Luhansk PR | 3–1 | Donetsk PR | Luhansk, Luhansk People's Republic |
| 21 May 2016 Friendly | Abkhazia | 0–0 | Donetsk PR | Sukhumi, Abkhazia |
| 13 August 2016 Friendly | Donetsk PR | 1–1 | Luhansk PR | Donetsk, Donetsk People's Republic |
| 31 August 2017 Friendly | Donetsk PR | 4–3 | Donetsk PR U-21 | Makiivka, Donetsk People's Republic |
| 28 May 2017 Friendly | Abkhazia | 1–2 | Donetsk PR | Sukhumi, Abkhazia |
| 13 February 2020 Friendly | Kyzyltash Bakhchisaray  | 1–0 | Donetsk PR | Bakhchisaray, Crimea |
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ The Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) was established by Russian-backed separatists in the Donetsk Oblast of eastern Ukraine in 2014, during the war in Donbas. The disputed entity was annexed by Russia in 2022, during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russia regards the DPR as a Russian republic, a claim that is unrecognised by Ukraine and by most of the international community.
References
edit- ^ Balmforth, Tom (4 June 2016). "Bigger Than Dominoes: Abkhazia Pins Hopes On Soccer Cup For Outsiders". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
- ^ Hendicott, James (2019). CONIFA: Football for the Forgotten. Lulu.com. ISBN 9780244173630 – via Google Books.
- ^ "CONIFA alternative World Cup boosts Russia-backed separatism". www.unian.info.
- ^ "Conifa – a Place for the Misplaced | SportsNewsIRELAND". Archived from the original on 2019-09-25. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
- ^ "Match schedule: CONIFA Sportsbet.io European Football Cup 2019". Archived from the original on 2019-05-25. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
External links
edit- Official website[dead link] (in Russian)
- Official Donetsk Football Federation Official Facebook Page (in Russian)
- Abkhazia v. Donetsk PR, 2015 on YouTube