The Sweeper - A World Football Podcast

Shakhtar Donetsk's imposter club – Plus Heidelberg’s Asian aspirations & Montserrat’s Facebook coach ad

April 21, 2026·34 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

Shakhtar Donetsk is a Ukrainian club – but Russia are trying to change that!As part of their efforts to integrate occupied Ukrainian territories, Russia are now creating their own versions of major Ukrainian teams.So why are UEFA not stopping this? What lie is being told to make it happen? And could the real Shakhtar win the Conference League?On this episode, we’re taking you on a journey to Ukraine to investigate how football is being used as a weapon of war. Plus: Semi-pro Heidelberg United eye up an historic AFC berth and Montserrat search for a new head coach on Facebook.Chapters:00:00 – Intro01:25 – The copycats in Russia’s fourth tier06:22 – The Crimean Premier League08:01 – Shakhtar Donetsk’s European run11:15 – The rapid rise of LNZ Cherkasy17:31 – Heidelberg United’s AFC aspirations 20:58 – Unlikely continental qualifications25:30 – Montserrat’s unorthodox manager hunt

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