The Kazan club was the first Russian club to play an official European club match in Greece, after discreet pressure to keep Russian symbols out of the Serafio pool.
Sintez Kazan water polo became the first Russian participant in European competitions in more than four years. In Athens, the team lost to Partizan, Serbia with a score of 13:14 (4:2, 2:5, 3:2, 4:5) in the Group B match of the qualifying round of the European Cup.