"For some reason, I have a hunch that Israeli football will not be banned"
In recent weeks, the Russian Football Union (RFU) has been forced to make a number of difficult decisions caused by the financial collapse of FC Khimki, as there was no clear procedure for replacing a team in the RPL that had dropped out of it on a non-sporting basis. As a result, the RFU Executive Committee bureau decided to keep Pari Nizhny Novgorod in the Premier League, which, after losing in the transition matches against Sochi (2:1; 1:3) he was supposed to be relegated to the first league.
In an interview with Izvestia, RFU Secretary General Maxim Mitrofanov commented on this decision, explained the difficulties with interpreting the regulations regarding the exchange of teams between the leagues, and also commented on the situation with the suspension of Russian teams from international competitions, expressed his position regarding the double standards of FIFA and UEFA in relation to Russian football.
— Given the ongoing suspension of our teams from international competitions since February 2022, how did they react to the events of last week, when Israel launched attacks on Iran?
— I have said it more than once and I repeat: we are not in favor of FIFA and UEFA banning countries. We want them to be consistent in these actions. We still consider the ban on Russian football to be completely illegal and, more importantly, unfair. Besides, it's harmful to football. If FIFA and UEFA make such decisions in the same situation, then they should make them in all similar cases. Or, if for some reason, in absolutely the same situations, they are not ready to make similar decisions, then they need to take the liberty to admit the mistake and remove the ban from Russia.
— The RFU communicated with FIFA and UEFA after June 13, when Israel attacked Iran. Can these events force the international football leadership to change its position towards the dismantling of the RFU or the removal of Israel?
— Our arguments are that FIFA and UEFA should lift the ban on us. We are not demanding a ban on Israel. But, of course, we give them a direct parallel, which, from our point of view, Israel has discovered in principle... Okay, I'm not a politician or a diplomat, it's none of my business, but the situation right now is much tougher than the one for which attempts are being made to blame Russia for anything.
— In the case of the current conflict with Iran, has Israel given more grounds for accusations?
— In general, yes. Our argument with our colleagues is that the RFU, along with all its teams — national teams and club teams — should be allowed to participate in official sports competitions. Or explain the difference. If we were told something else in the situation with Gaza, now everything is even more obvious in the case of Iran. We are waiting for the reaction of FIFA and UEFA.
— The other day, foreign media reported that FIFA had allowed foreign football players from Israeli clubs to terminate their contracts unilaterally.
— This is the same rule that was applied to Russian clubs in 2022. I consider this to be the most terrifying document ever adopted by FIFA.
— You have said more than once that you are against banning Israel, but only for Russia to be banned, since Israel is not touched. Isn't there a feeling right now that everything is heading towards anti-Israeli sanctions, which will further complicate our return?
— Let's take a look. I don't think FIFA will make such a decision regarding Israel. I hope they will make an adequate decision regarding Russia.
— Why don't you think that Israel is in danger of being banned?
— Something tells me that they won't accept.
— Some kind of political consideration?
— Rather, yes. For some reason, I have such a hunch (smiles).
— We are talking at the SPIEF, where the governor of the Samara Region, Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, participates in several sessions. At the end of last year, he blew up the information space with harsh statements about possible corruption in Russian football refereeing, but has not spoken out about it in the last few months. Does the RFU have contact with him on this topic?
— There is a contact with Vyacheslav Andreevich. But statements are statements, and work continues on the circumstances to which he referred. On the part of the RFU to a lesser extent, but we provide support to law enforcement agencies to the best of our ability. The work is underway. It is conducted in a slightly different way than it was in the initial statements of the governor of the Samara region. But there are certain materials there, certain circumstances have been established. I think that over time, the investigation will come to the realization of the hypotheses that they are currently testing, the evidence that is now available.
— What do you mean, "the work is being done in a slightly different way"?
— If you remember, initially Fedorishchev talked about influencing refereeing, specifically in the case of the Krylia Sovetov football club. As far as I understand, these circumstances were not confirmed during the inspections. But there are other data that the investigators were able to establish during the verification activities.
— So, Fedorishchev's words about corruption in the judiciary were not confirmed, and specifically that a certain Krylia employee claimed debts of 36 million rubles to persons influencing judges?
— Yes, we are not talking about refereeing now, but about other violations that took place. But there is a mystery of the investigation, so I cannot speak in detail. Moreover, we are not deeply immersed in the details of the work of law enforcement agencies. But she's coming. RFS employees regularly participate in various events, surveys, interrogations, and so on. If we can help, we can help.
— What is the reason that Kazan gets the right to host the Russian Super Cup match for the second time in three years? Does this mean that other cities are not very specific in their desire to organize these events?
— No, other cities are quite specific about their desire. But we also proceed from the previous experience of holding such events, the logistics of each city, the availability of hotels and, in general, the possibility of holding a Super Bowl match there during a specific period. Accordingly, after analyzing all the options, we settled on Kazan. There is no struggle, auction or competition between regions — we are in constant contact with everyone. And we want to hold such matches in all regions, especially those where stadiums from the 2018 World Cup are connected to the Fan Identification System (SIB) — this is an important requirement starting this year.
— Is it true that due to the lack of connection to the SIB system, the option of a stadium in Saransk has disappeared?
— Saransk was initially not considered precisely because of the lack of SIB at their stadium. Just like Volgograd, where we hosted the Super Bowl last year. Unfortunately, initially we did not look at these cities.
— So the stadiums of the 2018 World Cup from cities whose clubs have not played in the Russian Premier League since 2022, when they introduced the fan card, are not being considered now, and they have not faced the need to install a SIB?
- yes.
— Do you consider the optimal decision of the RFU Executive Committee bureau to leave Pari NN in the RPL after the non-issuance of the license to Khimki?
— I consider this decision to be absolutely in line with the regulations. Therefore, it is optimal. If it is not possible to make an ideal decision, then it is necessary to look at the regulations and make only the decision that is assumed by the regulations. Otherwise, the orgy begins. Because in other situations, you can make some other decisions that seem more interesting, more correct and more fair at that time. The relevant regulation, according to which the issue of replacing Khimki was resolved, did not appear out of nowhere. It was approved by the general meeting of the RPL clubs first — I hope they have read this rule. Then it was approved by the RFU Executive Committee. Therefore, it cannot be said that this norm was unknown to anyone in advance. Yes, it is not applied every year. And preferably, it should never be used. Because the non—issuance of a license to one of the clubs participating in the competition, which has not yet been eliminated on a sporting basis, is in itself an extremely undesirable story. But unfortunately, this happens.
— Don't you think that it is necessary to prescribe the regulations in more detail without vague wording, so that the issue of replacing teams like Khimki is resolved automatically, and not based on the results of a separate meeting of the executive committee or the bureau of the RFU executive Committee?
— I believe that the wording in this paragraph of the regulations is not vague — they are complex. They need to be made easier. And there is no need to make a lot of variations in them, as there are now, when you can make one decision or another. The current regulations have several different logics. You just need to choose an option with one decision-making logic, fixing it in the regulations. And if a new situation arises that does not fall under the regulations, then all the regulations of the world contain the norm that the executive committee of any relevant federation makes a final decision.
— You have said more than once that you advocate closed leagues. Isn't there a feeling that the story with Khimki and the non-admission of Novorossiysk Chernomorets, which plays in the first league, to transitional matches due to its lack of a stadium of the right standards, accelerates the approach of the moment when the RPL officially becomes a league from which no one leaves and no one gets into on a sporting principle?
— I'm in favor of closed leagues, after all, in a very limited period. I am in favor of giving an additional impetus to the development of RPL clubs from, let's say, the second ten. So that they invest more in working with fans, infrastructure, and academies, rather than creating a budget race by engaging in purely breeding activities to form core teams at any cost. I'm for it. If we tighten not the requirements, but the approach to licensing itself, then we are actually in this (closed league. — Izvestia) we can come. But we must understand that a tougher approach to licensing can lead to a difficult situation, including for stable, in our understanding, clubs.
— So you allow closed leagues for a period until 20-30 clubs appear in the country, in whose financial stability and infrastructure we will be confident enough, and the sporting principle will not be threatened by the history of Khimki and Chernomorets?
— If there are 16 RPL clubs and at least 10 First league clubs can withstand serious competition in all aspects, it would be great.
— There is no feeling that...
— That we won't have to live in this beautiful time?
- yes. And that even the examples with private investors — Tufan Sadygov at Khimki and Sergey Shishkarev at Chernomorets — do not give you a chance to plan the development of professional football so far?
— It seems to me that nevertheless it is possible and necessary to try. It is precisely the stability of investments that allows any investor to plan for a certain horizon. In the case of a closed league, people will start investing in order to develop, not to stay. And we will also be able to avoid a situation where a club accidentally shows good sporting success in the first league earlier than expected, when it is possible to enter the RPL, but they have nothing ready for this in terms of infrastructure, finances, and so on. Only progressive development with a planning horizon will allow them to build their work correctly.
— Two years ago, you said that most European national football federations are not against Russia, but they join the sanctions under pressure from their governments.
— I agree with myself from two years ago. Most European football federations are either still not against the return of our teams to the competition or have changed their position from categorically negative to more positive towards us. And the number of such federations is increasing. Another issue is that the political aspect necessary for reconstruction — the opening of borders, the resumption of aviation services, visa support, payments, and so on — is also important. Of course, we can see how European governments react to certain events, but I want to believe that common sense will prevail. I do not know when this will happen. But our main task is to ensure that our sport and our fans have access to international competitions.
— Are there any chances that within the next year our teams will be allowed at least according to the Belarusian version with home matches on neutral fields?
— I hope that by 2026, when the selection for Euro 2028 starts, we will already understand something. Perhaps the beginning will be with the Belarusian version. My colleagues and I discussed this.
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