The RFU commented on the statements of the head of the Samara region about corruption in soccer

The Russian Football Union considers the facts of corruption in the referee corps, as reported by Samara Region Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, as a reason to contact law enforcement authorities. This was reported to "Izvestia" on November 26 in the press service of the RFU.

"We are in contact with the leadership of the Samara region. We believe that the facts stated in the governor's statement about the request to provide funding for corrupt purposes are a reason to appeal to law enforcement authorities. The RFU on its part is ready to provide full assistance to the investigation to establish the truth", - stated in the message.

Representatives of the organization stressed that the Union consistently advocates compliance with the rules of fair play in soccer.

Confirmation of this position there called the first in the history of Russia criminal case on match-fixing, which was initiated by the RFU and led to the punishment and suspension of a number of referees and soccer functionaries in 2022.

Earlier in the day, Fedorishchev told the Russian State Council's commission on sports development that he learned two months ago about a debt of 36 million rubles owed by the Krylya Sovetov soccer club to "criminals who are engaged in corruption in the referee corps of Russian soccer." According to him, such a system has been in place for several years. The Governor proposed to refuse to finance the said scheme at the expense of taxpayers' money.

In February 2022, a court in Voronezh handed down Russia's first verdict in a case of match-fixing, which concerned a game between the clubs Chaika (Rostov region) and Chernomorets (Krasnodar region) in 2019. According to the Interior Ministry, the former head coach and six players of the Krasnodar team were eventually found guilty of prior collusion to illegally influence the result of a sporting competition and fined amounts ranging from 290,000 to 400,000 rubles.