Russian clubs get FFP break

Moscow - UEFA says it is prepared to soften its Financial Fair Play rules for Russian and Ukrainian clubs battered by their country's economic problems.

The FFP rules were introduced for the 2011-12 season to discourage clubs from making large losses, with so-called "financially doped" teams potentially being banned from European competitions like the Champions League.

With the Russian and Ukrainian currencies having dropped sharply in value over the last year and the two countries set for recession, many clubs' financial plans have been thrown into turmoil.

UEFA told The Associated Press in a statement that the economic problems "may be taken into account as an exceptional circumstance and a mitigating factor" in FFP investigations, though no clubs will be exempted entirely from the regulations.