June 3 – Krylya Sovetov FC and Akhmat Grozny FC will kick off the Russian Premier League again on June 19 after Russian football shut down in March due to the coronavirus.
The resumption of the league was scheduled for June 21, but Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko said that top flight matches would resume two days earlier than the previously announced date. Chernyshenko said: “Football has been always drawing particular attention. The sport of football will be once again with us starting from June 19, when RPL matches are resumed.”
The league wants to complete the seven remaining rounds of matches by the third week of July. The league resumption would also allow for a limited number of fans to return to the stadiums. Previously, league president Sergei Pryadkin had indicated that the remaining matches would be played behind closed doors.
Russian football came to a standstill in March when the Russia Premier League and all lower and regional divisions were suspended to combat the spread of the coronavirus. At the time, twenty-two rounds had been completed with Zenit St Petersburg topping the table on 50 points. Lokomotiv Moscow and Krasnodar FC were tied for second place on 41 points. Spartak Moscow, who dominated Russian football following the collapse of the USSR, sit in 8th position with 22 points.
Russia has registered 431,715 confirmed coronavirus cases and 5,208 deaths, according to the latest data from the Johns Hopkins University.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1713878586labto1713878586ofdlr1713878586owedi1713878586sni@o1713878586fni1713878586