'Lions' Lead the League

The league was run by the Belgorod's Department of Physical Culture and Sport, and the Belgorod Regional Football Federation, and sponsored by the sportswear retailer 'Joma Sport', and the Interregional Centre for Innovation in Dentistry.
The 'Lions' were led to victory by their manager Ahmed Al Sayeri, a final year medical student, and is drawn only from Iraqi students. Mr Al Sayeri spoke of the honour he felt when representing the University, saying,

“We didn't come here just to study. We also strive to understand the culture of Russia and share our culture in turn, to participate in cultural and sporting events in the University and beyond. It is important for us to demonstrate that Russia isn't only loved by Russians, we also love it with all our hearts, and feel like part of the family.”
Individual members of the team were singled out for trophies rewarding their seasons performance, including the Best Goalkeeper Award for Maan Al Iraqi, the Golden Boot for Ahmed Khazraji, the Most Valuable Player Award went to Abbas Al Aassi, and Mr Al Sayeri won the Manager of the Season Award.