"There is no objective to compete on the number of zeros in transfer sums"

One of the main events of the winter break in Russian soccer was the story of Dynamo Moscow player Bitello. In January, the Brazilian failed to show up at the club's location before the vacation and missed part of the first training camp. Soon there were rumors about his negotiations with the club Botafogo, to which Dynamo did not agree. In the end, Dynamo's tough stance forced Bitello to come to the training camp and start training with the team.

In an interview with Izvestia, Dynamo chairman of the board of directors Dmitry Gafin shared his opinion on the situation with the Brazilian, told how such stories are influenced by the recent decision of the EU court on the suit of former Lokomotiv Lassa Diarra against FIFA regarding the transfer regulations, as well as commented on his election to the RFU executive committee and expressed his wishes for changes in the work of refereeing.

- The Bitello situation made a lot of noise in January. Are you satisfied with the way it has been resolved so far?

- We as a soccer club always clearly and professionally fulfill our contractual obligations to our players and other contractors. We demand the same in return. In this case, we acted within the framework of protecting our interests. From the very beginning we behaved very strictly and consistently and openly said that any talks about further cooperation from the player will be only after he returns to the location of the club. And he has returned. Further we will communicate about his future. This is an important player, he has an important role in our team, so we expect to eventually come to a constructive solution, so that all parties are satisfied with each other.

- Can we say that today neither Dynamo nor other Russian clubs are legally protected from such incidents as with Bitello?

- You are talking about the so-called Diarra case, the decision on which was published at the end of last year. After that, the essence of our concerns is that if a player (as, for example, Norman did) used to violate the terms of his contract with a club and unilaterally broke it, then another club, where he moved on to, was obliged to pay a set compensation for him. That is, this club took responsibility for signing such a player. And the players carried the risk that if no one would ever sign him on such terms, he would simply end his career. After the Diarra affair, according to its various interpretations, it turns out that the club to which the player will move does not bear such responsibility. This means that if a player unilaterally terminates his contract with you, you will have to collect compensation not from his next club, but from the player himself. That is, conditionally speaking, you will have to chase him with a machete through the Amazon jungle or pampas, catch the player and charge him money that he may not have yet. That's the main risk. We need to get more information on this case, more clarification from the authorized bodies of FIFA and UEFA to have more clarity on situations like this.

- Have you discussed the situation with Bitello with Dynamo players and coaching staff? Are you sure that this case will not negatively affect the team atmosphere?

- We are a professional soccer club. Everyone, first of all, aims to work professionally, train, go on the pitch and win. All we can and should do is to continue working at the training camp in full kit and with maximum efficiency in order to successfully play the second part of the season.

- Why Dynamo is not very active on the transfer market this winter? "Zenit and Spartak buy players for tens of millions of euros, while you have no newcomers yet.

- We have no task to compete with other RPL clubs in terms of the number of zeros in transfer sums. We always act within the framework of our strategy, and I hope that soon you will learn about new acquisitions of Dynamo. They will be few, but they will be there.

- After Arsen Zakharyan's departure to Real Sociedad, was there a comparable interest from European clubs in Dynamo players when it came to concrete negotiations?

- There is a constant interest in our players both from European clubs and clubs from other continents - Asia and America. I cannot name specific names of players.

- What do you expect from the new four-year term of Alexander Dyukov at the head of the RFU?

- Alexander Valeryevich presented the plan of his work for the new term at the election conference. We hope that all the plans will be realized and it will make Russian soccer stronger. Of course, we are extremely interested in it, as Dynamo is a legendary part of Russian soccer.

- As a new member of the RFU Executive Committee, what are your goals for these four years?

- I want to bring as much benefit as possible to the RFU and our soccer in general in this position. I was delegated to the executive committee from the RPL. And I believe my task is to defend the interests of the league and its member clubs. For example, in terms of the situation with the Diarra case, which we discussed earlier. The big question is how our clubs will be able to protect their assets within the framework of the RFU and RPL. This is one of the most pressing issues for us now.

- RPL clubs have criticized the head of the RFU Refereeing Department Milorad Majic a lot in the last couple of years. Are there any conditions for Dyukov's support to change the Serbian specialist himself or adjust the principles of his work?

- We can't talk about any conditions, but according to the information I have, the re-elected RFU president is interested in normalizing the situation around refereeing and lowering the degree of scandal. In this regard, I hope that steps will be taken to improve the quality of refereeing and communication between the refereeing corps on the one hand and the clubs, the league and the fans on the other. So that we understand what is going on, because refereeing is an integral part of a big soccer product. Everyone is interested in improving the quality of refereeing and the quality of coverage and communication.

- How do you envision the practical realization of the idea of improving the quality of communication?

- I think everyone accepts that there are and will be refereeing mistakes. But everyone wants us to have more transparent communications with the referees, so that the referees do not seem to be a kind of closed caste that communicates with us in an incomprehensible language. That is why I am talking about the communication component. It seems to me that its improvement can remove some of the problems that have accumulated.

- During your five and a half years of work in soccer, were there periods when you were as satisfied as possible with the refereeing?

- Yes, of course there were. For example, the second part of last season. So I think that there are many positive moments in Majic's activity - I won't deny it. But there are also things that need to be adjusted. I hope that all this will be realized.