"Interest in RPL will drop without foreign stars, even at an average level"

In two weeks, the new RPL season will start, which will be held according to the updated rules for foreign players: clubs will be able to register no more than 12 foreign players for a match, and at the same time release no more than seven on the field. Previously, the Premier League allowed a maximum of 13 foreign players in the application and eight on the field. This tightening of the limit came into force on July 1 in accordance with the decree of the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation.

Many football clubs have spoken out against such restrictions. Alexander Belsky, Vice President of the Russian Football Union (RFU) and president of the St. Petersburg Football Federation, spoke most openly about this issue. In an interview with Izvestia, he expressed his position and explained why, even after the decision of the Ministry of Sports, he did not change his mind.

— In January, you publicly stated that there should be no limit on foreign players at all. How did you react when in April, Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev finally signed an order on a new restriction on the use of foreigners in the RPL?

— I have always been and remain opposed to the introduction of an additional limit. Absolutely. I believe that this will not lead to the appearance of more of our guys in Russian sports. This will only lead to an increase in the salaries of those players who are currently playing. They are unlikely to progress. And it is unlikely that this will improve the situation in our championship.

— Have you or your colleagues from the RFU assessed how much the salaries of Russian football players can increase after the introduction of the new limit? And to what extent can this growth exceed the expenses of clubs for foreign players who will not come to Russia now?

— I have already mentioned this: the guys in the first league, which has little interest (despite the fact that Alexander Valeryevich Dyukov spoke about an increase in interest in the first league), receive salaries of 500-800 thousand rubles. If this is translated into the cost of living in our country, then this is decent money. Few people earn as much as the guys in the first league, among whom even you probably don't know everyone. So imagine that the salaries of players in the first league will increase now, and in the RPL too. But will it make them play better and improve the quality of football? I don't think so. If we talk about how our championship looks now, then look at all the indicators. For example, the number of RPL football players who played at the current World Cup. Some of them achieve results and score goals. Therefore, it seems to me that at the moment we have a fairly well-balanced championship, in which, yes, many foreigners participate. But this is a competitive struggle — no one has cleaned it up. Of course, you can make sure that most of the players are Russian. But this is a slightly different goal setting.

According to the St. Petersburg system: the main summer transfers of the RPL

Zenit signed Brazilian Augusto, Loko was reinforced by a former pupil and a promising young midfielder.

— What is the goal setting?

— We can educate Russian football players, shut ourselves off from everyone else a bit. But the result is… We cannot evaluate it yet, because we are currently not allowed to participate in European competitions. But the result is unlikely to be positive. If you look at world football and how it is changing, then look, for example, at Real Madrid. There is one Spaniard in its composition. Does this mean that the Spanish national team is not playing well? No.

— So she's at the World Cup now and she's playing without Real Madrid players.

— Because there is only one Spanish player at Real Madrid.

— Real Madrid, like other clubs in Spain, still does not live on the money of the state or state-owned companies. And most of our RPL clubs are funded by the state in one form or another. Is it right for them to spend money on transfers and salaries to foreigners after 2022, sometimes from unfriendly countries?

— I'm telling you, the question is, what should be the goal setting? If you want the interest to decrease, you can go this way. But it seems to me that interest in the championship will decrease when even mid-level stars from world football countries stop participating in it. For example, Brazil — I'm all about Zenit (laughs).

— And what's the point of inviting such players after February 2022, until Russian clubs return to European competitions?

— I repeat: the interest in the Russian championship comes from who participates in this championship, how well and qualitatively the players play. Today, I can say that with the existing restrictions, but also with the players who are in the championship, our football is at a very high level. Our championship is at a good level. We are watching high-quality world football, although it is limited due to the suspension of teams. And it's high-quality because we have quite serious players coming to us. Remove Cordoba from Krasnodar — will it be interesting for you to watch?

— Because of your open position against the limit, do you feel like a black sheep in the football community? Or do others share it, but just don't want to publicly oppose themselves to the Ministry of Sports?

— I don't know. I feel the way I feel (smiles).

— Is there the same position among your colleagues on the RFU Executive Committee?

— Everyone has a different position. I'm only expressing my own.

— You are the chairman of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, secretary of the local regional branch of the ruling United Russia party. Why is the position on the limit different from yours at the state level? Why wasn't your political resource enough to challenge the initiative of the Ministry of Sports?

— Why did you decide to get into politics? (he smiles)

— The issue of the limit on legionnaires is political. Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken about it several times over the past 10 years. The Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation regulates this issue as a state institution, not sports federations as public organizations.

— Everything about football and its development is still not a matter of some populist decisions. It is clear that from the point of view of populism, it is good to say "everyone, we are patriots, let's expel everyone." The interests of football development are paramount. The interests of the league itself and how a particular team looks are important. If we are talking about politics, then yes, it is possible to make populist decisions that will not contribute to the development of football. But still, this is an issue that needs to be discussed with the professional community. If it accepts that it is possible to dwell on such decisions, then I have my own opinion. Someone else's name is different. After all, I'm not a professional person in this business — I speak more from the point of view of the viewer, the fan. It seems to me that Russian football, the Russian championship, will lose from this decision on the limit.

— Was there an opportunity to discuss this with the Minister of Sports Degtyarev?

— No, we haven't discussed it with him.