"A reliable form of club ownership is a public-private partnership"

Scandals in Russian football this offseason have not spared the lower leagues either. Thus, the insufficiently prescribed procedure for leaving the second league and joining the first league led to the fact that the bureau of the RFU executive committee had to decide on the move to hold play-off matches between Chelyabinsk and Astrakhan Volgar, who were applying for promotion, although initially Chelyabinsk residents believed that they were going out directly. And in early summer, when Novorossiysk Chernomorets, due to the lack of a first-category stadium, was not allowed to play in the transitional matches for the right to play in the RPL, the club's main investor Sergey Shishkarev publicly accused CEO Maxim Ponomarev of intending to hand over the match of the last round of the first league against Sochi, which was eventually won 2:1. Later, Shishkarev took back his words.

The main event was the criminal case against the leaders of the Moscow Torpedo, the founder of the club Leonid Sobolev and CEO Valery Skorodumov. Both were taken into custody in June on suspicion of attempting to bribe the referee of several of the team's spring matches in the first league. Torpedo joined the RPL in May and is scheduled to start in the Premier League in less than two weeks, but it is possible that the RFU will withdraw the club from the tournament. The RFU KDK may begin to consider this issue as early as July 9th or 10th. Nail Izmailov, president of the National Football League (FNL), which holds competitions in the first and second divisions, answered Izvestia's questions about how the situation with Torpedo players would affect the composition of the participants in the competition, commented on the scandal with Chernomorets, and explained what changes had been made to the regulations after the story with Chelyabinsk and Volgar.", and also spoke about the financial difficulties of the Crimean team Rubin Yalta playing in the second B league.

— What are the options for replacing Torpedo in the RPL if he is removed from the tournament before the start of the season?

— As you know, in connection with this case, a commission was created under the KDK of the RFU, which included, among others, employees of law enforcement agencies and the security departments of the leagues and the RFU. Following the results of the work of this commission, there should be a meeting of the KDC and the adoption of some kind of decision. According to the RFU disciplinary regulations, there are quite a lot of possible solutions, from withdrawal from all competitions to the imposition of a monetary fine. There is a possibility of disqualification of the club, withdrawal of points or transfer of the club to a lower league. With so many options, it's hardly possible to say what decision will be made in the end. And depending on this decision, it will be possible to talk about the procedure for replacing the club.

— Maxim Mitrofanov, General Secretary of the RFU, said that Torpedo could be removed from the RPL competition after the start of the season. Then 15 teams will play in the next Premier League championship. In this situation, it will also be impossible to introduce Torpedo into the FNL tournaments?

— Yes, we won't be able to change anything during the season. In this case, Torpedo will miss the season and all FNL tournaments.

— If Torpedo is excluded from the RPL before the start of the season, then someone will have to replace him in the Premier League. Who will it be?

— The question of the wording of the KDK decision. Disqualification of a club from all competitions is one situation. Disqualification of a club only from an RPL competition is a different situation.

— Can you explain the procedure for replacing the club in at least these two cases?

— If Torpedo is disqualified from all RPL and FNL tournaments before the start of the competition, then there are possible options for moving the club from the first league to the Premier League. And the RPL club has the advantage.

— Do you mean Orenburg or Fakel?

— I think the sporting principle will continue to take place.

— If the Torpedo is being removed only from the RPL?

— If this happens as a result of the recalculation of points from last season, then it is possible to replace Torpedo with Ural.

— Is the situation with Chelyabinsk and Volgar taken into account in the FNL regulations for next season?

— We discussed the conditions prescribed in the regulations with the RFU competition department. The changes have already been agreed in the latest version of the regulations.

— If this new version of the rules had been in effect last season, would there have been matches between Chelyabinsk and Volgar, or would Chelyabinsk have immediately entered the first league?

— There would be joints.

— How did you react to the situation with Chernomorets and the June scandal with Shishkarev's harsh statements against Ponomarev and accusations of trying to surrender the match with Sochi?

— As far as I know, Sergey Nikolaevich Shishkarev himself refused these words. As for the situation with Chernomorets as a whole, it is not very good. The situation is one of the most urgent that has happened in our football over the past couple of months. But I am glad that the parties have reached a compromise. And that Sergey Nikolaevich confirmed the financing for the next season (in May, Shishkarev announced his complete withdrawal from the Chernomorets project. — Izvestia). I am glad that the club's management, headed by Maxim Ponomarev, and the Novorossiysk City Hall are trying to find additional opportunities to attract financing for the maintenance of Chernomorets. It's good that we managed to keep the club at the first league level. We will continue to monitor the development of events.

— Immediately after the statements addressed to Ponomarev, Shishkarev posted a video on his telegram channel, where a number of famous football people, including Andrei Tikhonov, Dmitry Alenichev and Egor Titov, spoke with words of support to Sergey Nikolaevich. The FNL sports director Vasily Ivanov was also in this video. Is there a conflict of interest in the fact that not the last employee of the league takes one of the sides in a scandal directly affecting your organization?

— As far as I understand, it was a personal video that was forwarded in personal correspondence. The fact that Sergey Nikolaevich decided to put it on public display is his right.

— In your opinion, Ivanov did not want to influence how the conflict between the club's investor and its CEO would be resolved?

— I think if Vasily Ivanov wanted to speak on this topic publicly, he would have.

— You have already mentioned that Shishkarev has confirmed the financing of the club for the next season. If he decides to leave Chernomorets completely in a year, do you have any concerns about the fate of the team?

— I am concerned about the fate of almost a hundred clubs that are in the FNL, and not only in it. We see that the situation with the financing of professional sports is now difficult in principle. And we could observe this on the example of Khimki, which performed not even with us, but in the RPL. It's not easy in the FNL either: the Forte football club (Taganrog) ended its existence this offseason. Chernomorets had problems. The financial problems of Vladikavkaz-based Alania and Chaika from Peschanokopsk were discussed. And this is in private clubs, with private investors, like Torpedo and Khimki.

— Doesn't this mean that, contrary to popular stereotypes about the advantage of private ownership in our football, the effectiveness of such investors is not higher than in the case of public financing?

— Objectively, I believe that the most reliable form of ownership of a football club is a public—private partnership, when there is a share of both the state and an interested private investor. This form of partnership is the most viable in the current conditions.

— Have you discussed with the Sochi managers why they refused Chernomorets the lease of the Fisht stadium, which could help Novorossiysk obtain a license to play in the Russian Premier League?

— FC Sochi is not the owner of Fisht Stadium. Its owner is the Krasnodar Territory. Therefore, the questions here are not for the club, but for the region.

— In the spring, a number of media outlets reported that it was Sochi that convinced the leadership of the region to deny Chernomorets the lease of Fisht.

"I know what you're talking about. About the interest of Sochi and the opportunity to enter the RPL on an unsportsmanlike basis, without giving Chernomorets a chance to play at the stadium and get permission to play in transitional matches.

— In fact, thereby removing a competitor.

— The question is that the stadium belongs to the Krasnodar region.

— Did you discuss the reasons for the refusal of Chernomorets with representatives of the Krasnodar Territory?

— The club talked about this topic. As far as I know, Shishkarev personally communicated with the governor of the Krasnodar Territory on this topic. Next is the question of the interaction between them.

— Is there a feeling that the RFU needs to soften the regulations regarding club licensing requirements in the Russian Premier League, in particular by removing some aspects of stadiums such as the minimum capacity of 10,000 people? Otherwise, such stories as with Chernomorets will be repeated more than once.

— There are different approaches to this issue. The RPL is the elite of Russian football. And, probably, certain criteria, perhaps even overstated, should be there in order for the clubs and stadiums participating in this elite competition to meet high requirements. On the other hand, I understand that now, given the difficult economic situation, many clubs should reduce their requirements. Not only for the RPL, but also for the first league. Maybe for the second league as well, because the volume of investment in sports facilities is now likely to decrease. In any case, we must proceed from the fact that if there are prescribed rules, then they must be followed.

— Of course, I do not propose to violate the already approved regulations. But shouldn't we start changing it with an eye to the 2026/2027 season and beyond?

— I think that given the presence of clubs in the first league with the infrastructure and conditions suitable for licensing in the RPL, the issue of changing the regulations is premature.

— Are there a majority of such clubs in the first league now?

— The question is not about the majority, but about the tasks of a particular club and its capabilities, the ability to play in the RPL — the availability of a budget, infrastructure, and so on. It is unlikely that all the clubs of the first league should have such a task — to enter the Premier League. For some, the task of getting into the top eight or ten of the first league and reaching operational breakeven may be more important than promotion to the RPL. Everyone has their own strategy and their own task.

— In 2022, the release of Fakel in the RPL was quite unexpected with its budget. But due to the management and the work of the coach, the club managed to seize the chance, stayed in the Premier League for three years, during which time it built a modern 10,000-seat stadium, and also agreed with the Voronezh Region on the reconstruction of the old stadium. Why can't other lower league clubs with small budgets develop in a similar way?

— It's a matter of having a strategy for the club's development and preparing the infrastructure for entry into the RPL.

FNL Executive Director Alexander Atamanenko joined the conversation:

— Dynamo (Makhachkala) has a good case in this regard. The season before last, they did not understand whether they would join the RPL on a sporting basis or not. But back in December 2023, in the middle of the first league season, they began preparing their infrastructure to meet the requirements in case of promotion to the RPL. As a result, we found funds from several sources. They had a clear plan for what needed to be done at the stadium. They had a clear prioritization of what to do and when to do it, because there wasn't enough money for everything. As a result, for example, they made the field later. But they did it. And this is a good example of how to prepare for a promotion when you have a chance to achieve it on a sporting basis.

Nail Izmailov:

— This is a matter of proper management and planning. There are strict criteria for entering the RPL. We must follow them.

— How would you assess the situation with Rubin Yalta? How high is the threat of the club's withdrawal from the Second League B competitions?

— We talked with the club's management, investors and local authorities. We are trying to save Rubin Yalta. As far as I know, there are no debts in the club now. There is insufficient funding for the upcoming season. But the situation is not so critical that we can talk about withdrawing the team from the competition. In addition, we have decided to pay the prize money for participation in the last championship ahead of schedule, or rather, part of the prize fund, which will now be paid to the clubs of the second league B, which have already played for more than five months in the current spring-autumn season. We will pay them earlier than last season in order to stabilize their financial situation.