14 June saw the final matchday in the Second Russia football league (Division A). Trailing 2-1 at home to Mashuk-KMV, FC Chelyabinsk spent the final minute of the match passing the ball in their own half.
Video used for non-commercial purposes to illustrate the discussion.
Perhaps it was the imperfections in the league rules that caused FC Chelyabinsk to choose to lose rather than attempt to equalise.
FC Chelybinsk won the spring part of the season and enter the final week at third, two points ahead of Mashuk-KMV, Volgar and Leningradets. A five-point advantage over Veles secured the team a place in the promotion play-offs.
Standings before the final matchday
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | FC Chelyabinsk | 17 | 8 | 2 | 7 | 17 | 20 | 26 |
| 4 | Mashuk-KMV Pyatigorsk | 17 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 19 | 12 | 24 |
| 5 | Volgar Astrakhan | 17 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 16 | 17 | 24 |
| 6 | Leningradets Len. Obl. | 17 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 19 | 20 | 24 |
| 7 | Veles Moscow | 17 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 20 | 21 | 21 |
How does the second league work?
Second league is the third and forth (after the Premier and First leagues) tiers of the football pyramid in Russia. It has a rather whimsical format.
From the 2023-2024 season onwards, the second league has been split into two divisions. Division B is divided in 4 groups, largely on a geographic basis. Teams play a double round-robin tournament from spring to autumn. The group winners are promoted to the ‘Silver’ group of the Division A.
Division A comprises 20 teams, which are divided into the ‘Gold’ and ‘Silver’ groups. Teams play from autumn to spring. The season is split into separate autumn and spring parts. Both parts are double round-robin competitions.
After the autumn part of the season, the top four Silver teams are promoted to Gold. The bottom two teams are relegated to Division B, while the teams in seventh and eighth place play relegation play-offs against the bottom two teams from the spring part of the competition. The losers of these play-offs are also relegated to Division B.
If a team that finished in the bottom two in the spring part of the competition finishes in 7th or 8th place, they are relegated without play-offs. If a team that finished in the bottom two in the spring part earns promotion in the autumn, they do not play in the play-offs but are promoted to Gold instead. Instead, the team in eighth place at the end of the autumn part is eliminated without play-offs. If both teams in the bottom two earn promotion, then the bottom four teams in the autumn part are eliminated without play-offs.
The bottom four Gold teams are relegated to Silver. The group winner earns the right to play in the promotion play-offs.
After the spring part of the season, no Silver team is relegated; the bottom two play relegation play-offs after the autumn part (see above). The top four teams are promoted to Gold. The bottom four Gold teams are relegated to Silver.
The top two Gold teams are promoted to the First League. The third team plays the autumn winner in a promotion play-off. If the autumn winner secures a place in the top three, then the top three teams are promoted automatically. If the autumn winner finishes in the bottom four in the spring part, they are relegated to Silver. The runners-up or the third place teams take their place in the promotion play-offs (but only if they did not finish in the top two or bottom four in the spring). If the top three teams remain the same after the autumn and spring parts or if all autumn top-three teams are relegated, then the spring top three promotes to the First League.
After conceding a goal in the 79th minute, FC Chelyabinsk had a number of scoring chances, but completely gave up on progressing their possession in injury time. They passively passed the ball in their own half.
If Chelyabinsk equalised, they would earn 27 points, which would put them in level with Volgar and Leningradets, provided they won their respective matches against Rodina-2 Moscow and Spartak Kostroma. If so, Leningradets would finish third based on the tie-breaking rules.
FC Chelyabinsk, Volgar, and Leningradets face-to face
03/09 FC Chelyabinsk v Leningradets 1-2
03/23 Volgar v Leningradets 1-0
04/19 Volgar v FC Chelyabinsk 0-0
04/27 Leningradets v FC Chelyabinsk 1-0
05/11 Leningardets v Volgar 1-1
06/01 FC Chelyabinsk v Volgar 2-0
Hypothetical standings (FC Chelyabinsk, Volgar, and Leningradets tie)
| Team | GP | W | D | L | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Leningradets | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| 4 | Volgar | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 5 | FC Chelyabinsk | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
If Mashuk-KMV won, they would be level with Volgar and Leningradets on 27 points. According to the tie-breaking rules, Mashuk-KMV would then finish third.
Mashuk-KMV, Volgar, and Leningradets face-to-face
03/16 Mashuk-KMV v Volgar 1-2
03/23 Volgar v Leningradets 1-0
04/06 Mashuk-KMV v Leningradets 0-0
05/11 Leningradets v Volgar 1-1
05/04 Volgar v Mashuk-KMV 1-2
05/24 Leningradets v Mashuk-KMV 1-4
Hypothetical standings (Mashuk-KMV, Volgar, Leningradets tie)
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Mashuk-KMV | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 7 |
| 4 | Volgar | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 7 |
| 5 | Leningradets | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 2 |
Before the match journalist Sergey Ilyev reported that Mashuk-KMV had not obtained a licence to play in the First League. According to the regulations, only licensed teams can participate in the promotion play-offs.
The regulations do not clarify whether a play-off team will be replaced if it fails to obtain the licence. It is plausible to suggest that FC Chelyabinsk gave up playing after receiving a hint from the dugout to allow Mashuk-KMV to secure the third place and earn promotion without play-offs.
Mashuk-KMV won the match. Leningradets and Volgar also won their respective matches, and the final standings are as follows:
| Team | GP | W | D | D | GA | GF | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Mashuk-KMV Pyatigorsk | 18 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 21 | 13 | 27 |
| 4 | Volgar Astrakhan | 18 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 18 | 18 | 27 |
| 5 | Leningradets Len. Obl. | 18 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 20 | 20 | 27 |
| 6 | FC Chelyabinsk | 18 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 18 | 22 | 26 |
The regulation states that the fourth team can replace one that refuses promotion. Perhaps Volgar will refer to this clause to justify their right to participate in the promotion playoff. So far, Football National League has reported that it is awaiting confirmation of licences for FC Chelyabinsk and Mashuk-KMV from the Russian Football Union.
FC Volga Ulyanovsk secured second place in the Division A. Next season, they will play in the First League for the third time in their history. Forward Dmitriy Kamenshchikov was the season’s top scorer with 16 goals.