Russia: Fakel defeats ASK and fill last remained spot in F6. A scandal precedes match…

Fakel Novy Urengoy filled the last remained spot in the Final Six of the 2020/21 Russian Superliga Parimatch.
A face-off between the 5th-seed and no.8 ASK Nizhny Novgorod was the only one that hasn’t been completed out of four Preliminary Round of playoffs in total.
The former prevailed in a decisive match of the series (Game 3) in straight sets (25:18, 25:16, 25:18) and progressed to the Final Six in Moscow joining Dinamo Moscow, Kuzbass, Zenit-Kazan, Zenit Saint Petersburg, and Lokomotiv there. Dmitriy Volkov top-scored the Novy Urengoy club with 19 points.

Prior to the match, there was a prelude that Russian media marked as a scandal.
Namely, even though they were obligated to assure proper accommodation to the rivals, which is usually a hotel, Fakel brought ASK into a very difficult situation. There were no vacancies in any of the hotels in Novy Urengoy. Some were filled to capacity due to oil and gas exhibition, while others are used to treat patients with coronavirus.
Thus Fakel offered visitors from Nizhny Novgorod a stay in a dormitory, where shift workers live, which the ASK delegation refused as inappropriate given these rooms couldn’t provide enough comfort for players to rest before the match.
So, ASK moved to a shopping mall and threatened to return home in case Fakel don’t provide them with proper accommodation.
However, due to the fact that the Russian federation said that it will impose severe penalties to the guests, including a possible expulsion from Superliga, the club from Nizhny Novgorod found daily apartments located in different parts of the cities in which their player spent the night….

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| 2020/21 Russian Superliga Parimatch, Preliminary Round playoffs – Game 3:
| March 31, 2021
• Fakel Novy Urengoy (5) – ASK Nizhniy Novgorod (8) 3-0 (25:18, 25:16, 25:18) Serie: 2-1
Top Scorers: Volkov 19, Zhigalov 12, Bogdan 9, Safonov 7, Gutsalyuk 6; Vietskiy 9, Titich 9, Nikonenko 6, Fettsov 4.

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| Program Final Six in Moscow
| April 5
| POOL A
• Zenit Saint Petersburg – Fakel Novy Urengoy
| POOL B
• Zenit Kazan – Lokomotiv Novosibirsk

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| April 6
| POOL A
• Dinamo Moscow – Zenit Saint Petersburg
| POOL B
• Kuzbass Kemerovo – Zenit Kazan

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| April 7
| POOL A
• Fakel Novy Urengoy – Dinamo Moscow
| POOL B
• Lokomotiv Novosibirsk – Kuzbass Kemerovo

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