MOSCOW: Eight foreign footballers have left Russian club Krasnodar in a continuous exodus of players and coaches since Russia invaded Ukraine last week. 

Krasnodar said all eight players, including former France international Rémy Cabella and Sweden winger Victor Claesson, had asked for their contracts to be suspended but not cancelled, so they could live and train elsewhere.

The others are Erik Botheim, Kaio, Júnior Alonso, Ramírez, John Córdoba and Wanderson.

German Daniel Farke, a former Norwich manager, resigned on Wednesday along with his assistants after less than two months in charge and without taking charge of a game. 

Russian media has reported that another player, former PSG midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak, is likely to leave Krasnodar. Krychowiak posted on social media last week, along with other Polish internationals, that he would boycott his team’s match against Russia. 

Krasnodar are backed by wealthy businessman Sergei Galitsky and played in the Champions League group stage last season. Airport closures in southern Russia following the invasion of Ukraine meant that Krasnodar were unable to play a scheduled league game last week. 

At other clubs, Ukrainian defender Yaroslav Rakitskiy left Zenit for what the club said were family reasons and coach Markus Gisdol resigned at Lokomotiv Moscow in protest at the Ukraine invasion. 

The Ukrainian league was suspended last week, when the invasion began, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy implemented martial law.

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