"Israel is fighting on multiple fronts and there is no punishment for it"
The new leadership of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) was elected last week. Russian Football Union (RFU) President Alexander Dyukov joined the executive committee. For the first time in a long time, the ROC has a soccer representative.
In an interview with Izvestia, Vyacheslav Koloskov, the honorary president of the organization, who was present at the elections as a delegate from the RFU, explained why the union needs representation in the ROC, commented on the high-profile statements of Samara Region Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev about Russian soccer, and complained about the double standards of FIFA and UEFA in relation to Russia and Israel regarding sanctions against the background of armed conflicts.
- What events of the passing year 2024 do you highlight in Russian soccer?
- Intrigue in the Russian championship. It is great that last season in the spring three teams claimed gold at once: Zenit, Krasnodar and Dynamo. And this year, the RPL went into the winter break with five clubs fighting for the top spots at once. I hope it will continue to be like this. I am glad that there are interesting youngsters like Alexey Batrakov from Lokomotiv. And the fact that the national team continues to live. Yes, let it not always play with strong opponents, although there was a match with a strong team of Serbia (4:0), would have been a game with Paraguay in Moscow, if there was no tragedy in Crocus. But the fact that sometimes we have to play with weak opponents like Brunei (11:0) is better than nothing. In general, there is no isolation, the national team lives, fans go to see it. The main thing now is for it to return to official competitions. And of course, the last big event is the statements of the governor of the Samara region.
Governor of the Samara Region Vyacheslav Fedorishchev
- What do you think about Vyacheslav Fedorishchev's words about money to pay for the services of certain people who influence the referee corps?
- Something similar was said at different times by different people in soccer and the media. When I was the RFU president, such conversations also happened. But nothing could be proved. And more often than not, those who made such claims did not provide any evidence. But the situation here is unusual - for the first time it is said by a person of such a state level, the head of the region. Therefore, such words should be taken seriously. Another thing is the question of evidence. Only the investigation and the court can give an objective assessment of this. Fedorishchev said that he had written relevant statements to law enforcement agencies, probably provided some facts. Now we have to wait for the results of the investigation and relevant procedural decisions. It is too early to draw conclusions.
- You were at the recent Olympic meeting as a delegate from the RFU. There Alexander Dyukov was elected a member of the ROC executive committee. Why was it decided to nominate him there?
- You should ask Degtyarev - the RF Sport Minister and the new ROC president - why it was decided that way. But I guess about the reasons. The fact is that today the RFU is one of the leading sports federations in Russia in general. I can reliably say that no other federation does the amount of work that the RFU does. I mean everything that is done in school, youth soccer, secondary and higher educational institutions, in the territories of all regions, in soccer academies, academies of coaching skills, what is done in terms of competitions - it is all at a high level. And even in terms of work at the international level, the work is successful, despite the suspension of our teams from competitions. After all, the RFU still maintains relations with soccer federations of other countries, with FIFA and UEFA - we have not been expelled from there, no one has suspended our membership in these organizations. Not to mention the gigantic budget, which is managed by the RFU, and a significant part of it is earned independently and not a penny is taken from the state. It is one of the leaders in our sports industry, so it is logical that the experience of its president wants to take advantage of the ROC.
- At the same time, when Nikolai Tolstykh's term of office on the ROC executive committee expired in 2018, the RFU did not nominate a candidate to replace him. Why is it necessary now?
- When I was the RFU president in 1992-2005, I tried to maintain our positions in the Olympic Committee - I was a member of the ROC executive committee, I was vice-president of the ROC for seven years. Why didn't you nominate candidates later? Because the RFU presidents did not stay in their seats for a long time. Two years - goodbye, two years - goodbye. Therefore, only Nikolai Alexandrovich after me was a member of the ROC executive committee. And he headed the RFU in 2012, was elected to the ROC executive committee in 2014, and a year later left the post of RFU president. And for three years he was a member of the ROC without having a position in the RFU. In general, no one had time to prove themselves. But Dyukov did. He has been at the head of the RFU for almost six years. He is a great leader, a modern manager.
- Taking into account the fact that our soccer team has not made it to the Olympic Games since 1988, what lines of interaction between the RFU and the ROC can there be?
- What did Degtyarev talk about when he spoke at the Olympic meeting before his election? About joining efforts to return our athletes to the international arena in full rights - with the anthem, flag, without any discrimination and other things. And it is better to do it together. The RFU can do a lot on its own, the ROC can do a lot on its own. But if we unite, the efforts are doubled. And the authority from such requests, such petitions increases. In my opinion, this is very useful. And this is one of the reasons why Dyukov was elected. Another is that we should not forget that the ROC, as well as the RFU, does a lot to promote ideals. First of all, the ideals of the Olympic movement. And soccer players as athletes are one of their preachers. And let's still hope that sooner or later our soccer players will get to the Olympics, having passed all the necessary qualifying stages.
- The last soccer Olympics with the participation of our players was in 1988, when the USSR national team won gold. Do you believe that you will still see Russia's participation in this tournament?
- You can't live without faith. Of course, we need to believe in it. However, the situation is still very difficult. Yes, we can believe in the best, but today we have to solve the first task - to fully return to official international competitions.
- In your opinion, why do they apply such sanctions to us, but not to Israel and Turkey for entering the territory of Syria?
- I have a clear understanding: these are double standards. Unfortunately, they are present everywhere in the world today. Not only in soccer and sports, but in all of life. Israel is a participant in the war in general. It is fighting on several fronts. With the Palestinians, with the Lebanese, and now with the Syrians. And there is no punishment for it. And that's completely unfair. And a clear example of the dual approach.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
