Donetsk People's Republic national football team
The Donetsk People's Republic football team is a team representing the people of the unrecognised Donetsk People's Republic, located in the Russian occupied Ukraine. They are not affiliated with FIFA or UEFA, and therefore cannot compete for the FIFA World Cup or the UEFA European Championships. Instead, they are part of CONIFA and compete in their competitions. History. The team was founded on 25 July 2015, playing Abkhazia in their first game. Donetsk PR also took part in the 2018 CONIFA World Football Cup qualification but failed to make it  through to the finals. Sascha Düerkop, general secretary of CONIFA, stated that he did not agree with the Donetsk PR politically — comparing them negatively with the Chagossians — but that "that was not the point" and they were allowed to compete. CONIFA were criticized for supporting "Russia-backed separatism." Donetsk PR were scheduled to take part in the 2019 CONIFA European Football Cup but later withdrew.