After four rounds in the Russian Premier League, coaching changes arrived with surprising speed. Ural fired Igor Shalimov first, then Khimki announced Sergei Yuran’s resignation, and Torpedo’s Alexander Borodyuk’s departure was proclaimed but seemingly did not take effect.
Yet if Shalimov left after four straight losses, Yuran’s Khimki sat atop the table with seven points from four matches, including a 1:1 draw with Zenit, the country’s perennial champion.
Still, at the end of the previous season, the Red-Whites narrowly avoided relegation, surviving through playoffs against SKA-Khabarovsk after a home defeat (0:1) following an away loss (0:1). They managed to escape the drop. The late-season surge, and the early-season pull, were led by Sergei Yuran, so news of his dismissal between the fourth and fifth rounds of the RPL felt sudden and jarring.
Rumors then spiraled. Early reports suggested the move came after Yuran refused to release Khimki’s primary shareholder, Tufan Sadygov, for a match with his son Rostov.
This season, striker Ilya Sadigov stepped onto the pitch only in the final six minutes of a 3:0 victory over Pari NN, then stayed on the bench for the Rostov game (0:1) and did not feature in the last match against Torpedo (3:1). Yet Sadigov did find the net in two consecutive games under Yuran, contributing in spring wins over CSKA (4:2) and Krylya Sovetov (4:1).
Still, other trusted sources contested that version. Club curator and State Duma deputy Roman Teryushkov suggested that last season had begun with a short-term cooperation agreement with Yuran, and now it was simply time for him to leave. That explanation, while plausible to some, still raised eyebrows.
handicapping version
Insider Ivan Karpov claimed on his Telegram channel that Yuran was dismissed for allegedly trying to fix a penultimate-round match against Rostov at the end of last season.
Back then, Khimki were fighting for survival, and a win could have kept them out of the playoffs. The allegation claimed Yuran promised Rostov six points in the 2022/23 season for three points in hand. Rostov reportedly refused and won 2:1, while Khimki clung to safety in the closing stages.
The origin of this rumor remains unclear, though Khimki fans, unhappy with the coach’s departure, suspect the tale was a cover regarding Ilya Sadigov and an alleged attempt at negotiation.
Juran himself offered a sharp rebuke to the rumor after stepping down, saying, “This is total nonsense,” in a statement to RB Sport. Rostov’s head coach Valery Karpin echoed the sentiment, calling the claim ridiculous and denying any negotiation.
Khimki, via Teryushkov, dismissed the fixed-match narrative as groundless and said there was no legal case to pursue. The team also noted that gossip often runs wild in football circles and that rumors should not be treated as fact. The club did not pursue legal action, and expressed no interest in wading into a media feud.
One analyst, Alexander Mostovoy, who has transitioned from player to television commentator, weighed in on the situation. He argued that Yuran’s dismissal was likely not tied to any match-fixing scheme but rather reflected the unpredictable nature of Russian football. “There are more versions than goals in that game,” he observed, describing the rumor mill as a circus. He noted that in any country, formal inquiries can lead to punishment for those deemed responsible, but cases must be substantiated rather than speculated about in the press.
As the drama continued to unfold, observers cautioned against drawing firm conclusions from rumors. The football world often tests loyalty, finances, and strategy in rapid succession, and Khimki’s leadership stayed focused on the task of rebuilding and clarifying the club’s direction amid a tense public narrative.