"Our capabilities allow us to solve the problem of returning to the RPL"

Following the results of last season, Orenburg football Club was eliminated from the Russian Premier League (RPL). He is currently preparing for a draw in the first league, but for more than a month there has been talk about his possible retention in the elite. At first, this was facilitated by the withdrawal from the competition due to the financial problems of Khimki. For a long time, the Russian Football Union (RFU) has been deciding who will replace the RPL Moscow Region club, which finished 12th. As a result, he was replaced by Pari Nizhny Novgorod, which took 13th place and lost the Sochi transition matches." (2:1; 1:3).

The chances of Orenburg remaining in the elite appeared again after the detention by law enforcement agencies of Leonid Sobolev, the founder of Torpedo Moscow, who joined the RPL last season, and Valery Skorodumov, the club's CEO. They are suspected of trying to influence the referee of a number of the team's matches last spring. The leadership of Russian football does not rule out the withdrawal of Torpedo from the Premier League tournament. If the suspension occurs before the start of the season (July 18), then Orenburg may replace Avtozavodtsev.

In an interview with Izvestia, Kirill Volzhenkin, the club's general director, spoke about the situation with a possible early return to the RPL, shared his opinion on the situation with Khimki's debt to Orenburg over last year's transfer of midfielder Lukas Vera and the reasons for retaining Vladimir Slishkovich as the team's head coach.

— Has the club's budget changed a lot after the relegation from the RPL?

— I would not like to name the numbers, but our capabilities allow us to solve the task of returning to the RPL, which we want to do by the end of the upcoming season. Everything is stable with us. There are no financial problems.

— Do you also keep in mind the option of returning to the RPL this summer if Torpedo is removed from the competition before the start of the season due to a scandal with its leaders?

— We live for today. As it will be, so it will be. We are currently preparing for the First league season, and the team is training. Time will tell what happens next.

— But keep in mind the situation with a possible entry into the RPL this summer, are you calculating the budget and selection for this case?

— Since we are going to return to the Premier League in a year, we are putting together a team with an eye to it. Therefore, we are ready for any eventuality. And we keep different options in mind, taking into account what is happening now. But, I repeat, everything you say about Torpedo is just speculation so far. We are living for today and preparing for the first league season. It's just that the club is preparing for it as seriously as possible anyway, so in case of any changes we will be able to adapt, we won't have big problems with competitiveness. No matter where we play. But for now, we're playing in the FNL.

— Last summer, even before you joined the club, Orenburg sold Lukas Vera to Khimki. As a result, due to the financial problems of the Moscow region club, he did not receive money for the player, but strengthened his competitor, which may have led to his departure. How to stop such stories?

— It seems to me that it is extremely difficult to predict such things. At the beginning of last season, no one could have said that it would end like this and that such a situation would happen to Khimki. Of course, this is a very serious issue for us. We missed out on serious money and strengthened the competitor by giving him our best football player. I think I won't say anything new if I note that our club suffered the most from the situation with Khimki. We lost a leading football player, and we didn't get anything in return — we can't even get into our squad with the money we were supposed to get for our Faith. How to avoid such a situation in the future? I repeat, it is extremely difficult to predict it. But at the general meetings of the RPL and the FNL, we discussed various options. I hope we will come to an optimal solution in the future.

— When did Khimki have to pay for their Faith?

— During the past season, this amount had to be repaid in several installments.

— If they had paid these tranches on time, could you have strengthened yourself with someone who could make the necessary difference in the struggle for survival?

— Reasoning in the subjunctive mood. But the amount is serious. And this is money that could have been used to invite more players.

— Khimki is starting bankruptcy proceedings. Do you still hope to receive at least some of the money from Vera's transfer?

— Of course, we would not like to lose this money just like that. Therefore, we will use all possible ways to return them. We are exploring all options.

— The current head coach of Orenburg, Vladimir Slishkovich, was appointed under the previous leadership. Why didn't they change it either during the winter break in the RPL, or in the off-season after the departure?

— We thought that this would be the most effective way for us now. We talked with the head coach and came to the conclusion that we have the same views on the development of the team. Therefore, we continue to work together.