Russia: Opposing Clubs Face 10,000-Mile Return Trips After Remote SKA Khabarovsk Secure Promotion To Premier League

Chris Wright

29th, May 2017

2 Comments

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Photo: @fcska/Twitter

SKA Khabarovsk have added some serious mileage to next season’s Russian Premier League (RPL) itinerary after securing their promotion to the top flight on Sunday.

Despite a grand total of zero goals being scored over 210 minutes of their two-legged play-off against Orenburg, SKA won the ensuing penalty shootout 5-3 to secure themselves a spot at the big table for the first time in their history.

This no doubt came as welcome news to the majority of the rest of the top tier, with SKA hailing from the far east of the Russia, some 5,150 miles from Moscow and almost 4,000 miles from St Petersburg as the crow flies.

Indeed, Khabarovsk is only about 15 miles from the Chinese border, meaning that the majority of the teams in the RPL will be facing 19-hour return flights to play SKA at their Lenin Stadium home ground – though SKA will presumably having to make the same journey every other week!

And to think you complained about getting in and out of London on a Sunday.

Posted in International football

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2 Comments

  1. Neil says:

    Surely SKA were already flying around in their current league, so presumably they have their routine worked out.

  2. maria says:

    Indeed. A quick check of the Googles shows that the National League isn’t geographical and does contain, among others, Dynamo Moscow and the ‘B’ teams for Spartak Moscow and Zenit St Petersburg.

    Nothing new here, nothing to see, move along please.

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