Introduction to Krasava Football Club
"I am in tears with joy. We built a team that can compete with Apoel. This is only the beginning," says Yevgeny Savin. On a August evening, the President of the Krasava Ezy Ypsonas Football Club sits in one of the upper levels of the Ammochostos Stadium in Larnaca and looks at the empty field. The football club, which he originally founded in Russia four years ago and was registered again in Cyprus after the Ukrainian invasion of Russia, has just made his debut in the country’s top wing. Although Krasava lost the game 2-1, the fact that it was a success against the most successful club of Cyprus, Apoel Nicosia, in Savins’s eyes.
Former Footballer Became YouTube Star
Savin was a once professional footballer and was appointed to the U21 team of Russia several times in the 2000s. After the end of his career as a player, he became a media star, for the first time as a moderator of a show in Sports Channel Match TV, part of the state media holding company Gazprom-Media. In 2018 he founded the YouTube channel "Krasava", where he discussed Russia’s problems from a football perspective. The Russian word "Krasava" is a youth slang, a word that expresses respect. It also includes the abbreviation of Savins last name "Sava". Savin currently has a million followers on Instagram and YouTube. Millions of views of his videos brought him sponsoring deals and a considerable income. He earns up to 1.2 million euros a year, Savin told.
Founding of the Club and Its Journey
He founded the club in 2021 and Krasava initially took part in the third division of Russian football. But immediately after the invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, Savin left Russia with his wife and two children. He condemned the war and published a video with Ukrainian athletes who expressed their feelings for the invasion. This meant that Krasava was banned from training in a stadium in the Moscow region. Savin was finally accused of "discredited" the Russian army and sentenced to prison in March 2024 in absence in Russia.
Starting Over in Cyprus
But fleeing from Russia did not mean that Savin would give up the idea of owning his own football club. He had chosen Cyprus to go into exile because it is relatively cheap to run a professional football club there. In Ypsonas, a suburb of Limassol, Savin bought a local club license for several hundred thousand euros – to play in the second division of the country. This is not the same legal person as the Russian Club Krasava, but a new one. However, the colors, the emblem and above all his president and the principles on which he founded it as a "honest private club" remain the same. Since then, Savin has dropped into the club of around 1.5 million euros of his own money and was supported by sponsorship of an online broker of a billionaire born in Russia who also turned his home country. This enabled the association to win the campaign in the first division after only three seasons.
Personal Life and Challenges
But the life of home is not without his disadvantage, as if you were separated from your sick father, who still lives in Russia and cannot travel. "I feel guilty that we cannot see each other," says Savin. He once wrote to him: "Papa, forgive me. I couldn’t help it," he says, referring to his public criticism of the war and his decision to leave Russia.
The Club’s Office and Operations
Savin welcomes the reporter in the training facility of his club in a sports complex in Limassol. It consists of two small artificial lawn places and a 20 square meter room behind a glass door that was converted into an office. In a corner there is a small table that shows the trophy and a gold medal from the second division last season and an icon of St. Sava, which was given to him by a priest. His club admits that his club is still a "startup". All of his employees multitasking and work late into the night – just like him. "You have to give an example. This is the only way to show that Krasava is more than just a football club and a job. We are a family," emphasizes Savin.
Unitting People Through Football
Krasava aims at immigrants from post -soviet countries as a fan base. "Ninety percent of our fans speak Russian. Krasava combines people from Belarus, Ukraine, Russia and other countries in the stands," says Savin. "It is difficult to imagine another place where people gather, scream together in Russian and cheer on a football club." But his contributions to the Russian -speaking community go even further. Free weekly training courses are offered on the club of the club for children who receive support in the Yasam Special Therapy Center in Limassol. These children come from Russian and Ukrainian -speaking families and have only been on the island for several years.
Future Plans and Dreams
Yevgeny Savin, of course, also takes part in the games. He stands in the stands among the fans, makes selfies, discusses the game and leads enthusiastic chants – and he continues to dream. "The next step is to qualify for European club competitions," he says. "So that the whole world learns something about the Krasava football club and its history, which, as I am sure, is inspiring."
