Black and white stripe: what is known about the detention of the Torpedo owner and how it will affect the club
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- Black and white stripe: what is known about the detention of the Torpedo owner and how it will affect the club
A new big scandal has broken out in Russian football. The Moscow Meshchansky Court has arrested Leonid Sobolev, co-owner of the Moscow Torpedo, for two months. The fate of the Avtozavodtsy in the RPL of the 2025/26 season once again found itself in limbo. Read more about the current situation in the Izvestia article.
It's all about bribes
The first bells rang on June 19th. Then RBC reported that a criminal case had been opened against Sobolev, as well as the director of Torpedo, Valery Skorodumov, under Part 2 of Article 184 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Unlawful influence on the result of an official sports competition"). Under this article, they face up to seven years in prison.
The investigation suspects the functionaries of trying to bribe one of the football referees to make specific decisions in favor of the club. Sobolev and Skorodumov's office and place of residence were searched, and both defendants were taken to the police station.
According to investigators, Torpedo could have been involved in financial incentives for referees in at least three matches last season between March and May. The requirements are to ensure victory for Avtozavodtsy by awarding a penalty to the opponents' goal or removing their player. The issue price is more than 1 million rubles.
The name of the arbitrator who allegedly became a participant in the scandal has already been mentioned. According to Sport Baza, his name is Maxim Perezva. Last season, a referee from the Moscow region officiated at three games involving Torpedo. And symbolically, all of them were played from March to May and at Avtozavodtsev's home arena. In the matches against Rodina, Ural and Shinnik, Torpedo players have never lost, scoring five points. (0:0, 1:1, 0:0). And if you look at the final standings of the First League, where Torpedo became the second with 65 points, Chernomorets — the third with 64 points, and Ural — the fourth with 59 points, and mentally subtract these five points from black and white, then Torpedo would not have made it to the RPL. directly. That is, the expected impact on the outcome turned out to be very serious. If that's what it's all about, of course.
Insider Ivan Karpov supplemented the information of the "Base", revealing the financial details of a possible bribe to the referee Perezva: 1.5 million rubles each for the victories of Torpedo in the games against Rodina and Shinnik, and as much as 3 million for three points in the game with Ural. In addition, 250 thousand for each penalty or removal as part of the opponent. For similar conditions in the match with Ural, a double reward was allegedly offered — 500 thousand rubles. According to Karpov, it was this suggestion that prompted Perezva to write a statement to the police.
Sobolev's detention
On the morning of June 20, lawyer Alexander Dobrovinsky, representing the interests of Torpedo co-owner Leonid Sobolev, commented on the detention of his client to Sport-Express.
"Sobolev has been detained. He is in the pre—trial detention center at Petrovka 38. The charge is under part 2 of art. 184," Dobrovinsky told SE.
The lawyer also added that on the eve of the court hearing, Sobolev was interrogated, and "he doesn't say anything because he doesn't know anything about it." In the same statement, Dobrovinsky admitted that Torpedo had some "enemies" who could provoke this whole situation.
On the afternoon of June 21, a hearing was held in the Meshchansky Court of Moscow, at which a preventive measure was chosen for Sobolev and Skorodumov. Dobrovinsky announced the detention of the co-owner of Torpedo for two months. Sobolev and Skorodumov were charged under Part 2 of Article 184 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "Unlawful influence on the result of an official sports competition," according to which the maximum penalty is seven years in prison.
At the same time, Dobrovinsky said that Sobolev asked the court to release him on bail in the amount of 50 million rubles, but this was refused.
In defense of his client, Dobrovinsky noted that Sobolev "has never spoken to any judge" and "does not accept the charges," even refusing to testify. And he mentioned some "serious enemies" again.
"We will do everything to ruin this case, because it doesn't exist. In my opinion, it is fabricated. And it's not worthy of going to court," the lawyer added in a conversation with SE.
According to Andrei Alyoshkin, another of Sobolev's defenders, his client's arrest is a "political decision," and an appeal is expected to be filed on Monday.
Torpedo and RPL reaction
On June 20, at exactly 10:00 Moscow time, the club itself made an official statement about the incident.
"We are aware that law enforcement agencies are conducting investigative actions against the club's shareholder Leonid Sobolev and CEO Valery Skorodumov. We emphasize that the investigation is within the competence of law enforcement agencies and the judicial system.
We recall the fundamental principle of the presumption of innocence. Any person is considered innocent until his guilt is proven in accordance with the procedure established by law and confirmed by a court verdict that has entered into legal force.
Our club is monitoring the progress of the investigation and will cooperate with the competent authorities within the framework of the law," Torpedo said in a statement posted on the club's official website.
The president of the Russian Premier League, Alexander Alaev, did not ignore the situation either.
"The RPL strictly adheres to the principle of zero tolerance for corrupt practices in the sports environment. Such incidents undermine the foundations of fair competition, the sporting principle and trust in sports in general.
It is important to note that the proceedings against the management of Torpedo are being conducted regarding a competition that is not organized and operated by the Russian Premier League.
If the results of the investigation and consideration of the KDK case affect the composition of the RPL World participants for the 2025/26 season, we, together with our colleagues from the RFU, will look for the most equitable solution that will allow the championship to be held in compliance with all the charters and basic principles of the game," Alaev quotes the official website of the RPL.
The fate of the Torpedo after Sobolev's arrest
According to SE, Torpedo shareholders promised to fulfill all their obligations, and RPL has no doubts about the financial viability of the club. The First Sport Telegram channel also confirmed the possibility of black and white playing in the elite, according to which, "the RFU has no plans to change the composition of the new season's participants and suspend the Moscow club." At the same time, there is a possibility that the club will be punished before the start of the season — with a deduction of up to 15 points and a heavy fine.
But it's too early to be happy for Torpedo. The Khimki case showed that anything is possible in the RPL. So they took it and gave Paris NN a second chance after the defeat of Sochi in the transition matches. And the Sochi residents themselves were also allowed in. So miracles are possible.
Perhaps the arrest of the co-owner will not really affect Torpedo in terms of sports and the team will be able to play out the season. However, it is possible that Khimki 2.0 may happen in a year. But at least Avtozavodtsy will not violate the integrity of the league and there will be no horror with 15 teams and a broken calendar (which, by the way, has already been formed and published).
At the same time, there has already been talk about a possible replacement of the Torpedo in the RPL. Again, after the situation with Khimki, everyone thought that anything could be expected. That's why they started offering specific options.
For example, Zenit Chairman Alexander Medvedev said that Orenburg should take the place of Torpedo.
"If Torpedo cannot participate, then Orenburg should logically play. But first, let's wait for a decision on what will happen to Torpedo," Medvedev told Match TV.
And the president of Ural, Grigory Ivanov, even suggested the candidacy of his team, which lost in the joints to Akhmat.
"We are not communicating with the RPL leadership on the Torpedo issue. The news came out only yesterday, and I don't know all the reasons. Ural is ready to replace Torpedo. We have a squad, we can replace any club. I would not like Torpedo to be unable to participate in the RPL for non-sporting reasons. The guys deserved it after all. I don't know how the situation will unfold next. So far, this information is only in the press, there are no specifics," Ivanov told RB Sport.
The matches of the first round of the RPL will be held on July 18. And Torpedo should play against CSKA. Or maybe he won't. In almost a month, the situation can change beyond recognition. And we can only watch it.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
