“This is a game for wear”: Juran about the resumption of the RPL season, matches without spectators and the Zenit championship

- The season in the RPL can resume only at the end of June. Should the Premier League leadership try to finish it at all costs?

- First, let's recall how many players are already quarantined without movement. Month? Two? They can swing the press and arms, squat, but this is not football exercises, not training. In my opinion, they need at least a month to come to the resumption of the tournament in optimal condition. And then this is not enough after two months of inactivity. Let's first think about the health of football players. Firstly, there is a risk of coronavirus infection. Secondly, I am convinced that due to the lack of time for preparation, the morbidity will increase - the body simply will not be ready.

- That is, it can be called a game of wear?

- Yes, this is a game of wear. Football players risk getting hurt and ending their careers. When the championship begins, they will not be ready even for 80%. In a normal situation, after a break, athletes normally tolerate loads, but in such cases we are talking about a calendar with one match per week, and not about meetings in two days on the third.

- It turns out that with such loads there is a risk that the players will be unprepared even for the next season?

“That could be.” People will play one or two meetings, and injuries will go. Then all this will be simply meaningless. In addition, before the matches, the players will experience stress. These are not control meetings, when you can not give all your best, and the coach makes six to seven substitutions, and sometimes he changes the whole composition in order to preserve the performers. In the official game, everything is different. There is a constant struggle on the field, which is fraught with tearing of ligaments and damage to the ankles, if you are not physically ready.

- That is, an immediate resumption of the season is not the best option?

- Of course, it is not for me to decide, but in my opinion, this is an unjustified risk for the players. There is a pandemic and a series of injuries. You can often notice: if a team has gaps in preparation, players begin to “break down”. If the season is resumed soon, they will give only two to three weeks to prepare. This is not enough to bring the teams to the proper level after isolation. And these two factors really bother me.

Or let's imagine a situation in which someone picks up a coronavirus after the resumption of the season. The team will have to isolate itself again. Then she has to withdraw from the tournament? Then why is this all? Therefore, in my opinion, there is no need to resume the season for a “tick” and expose the players to risk. I think the game in this case is not worth the candle.

- Assuming that the championship does resume, the lack of spectators in the stands will negate the advantage of the home team?

- It’s hard to imagine any sport without spectators. Imagine, in the theater, the actors went out to play a performance, and the hall was empty. Of course, the players will try, but they are dependent on the fans. Even if half the stadium is full, it already creates the necessary atmosphere. And empty stands evoke associations only with test matches at training camps.

It's one thing when this happens in the offseason, and quite another when you need to fight for medals. For example, I am now watching the championship of Belarus, where the arenas are practically not filled. It becomes very sad when I see such a picture. First of all, it is a pity for the teams themselves and the players. The presence of fans is one of the determining factors in football.

- In England, they are considering the option of holding meetings on neutral fields without spectators. How honest is it with teams who will not play the season in their cities?

- It is clear that someone will benefit from this, and someone will be in a worse situation. As far as I know, clubs simply have no way out in the Premier League, as the broadcasts have already been paid for. Therefore, the refusal to resume the season will result in collapse. The British have nowhere to go.

- For Russia, this option is unacceptable?

“I don't think that is a good idea.” You can not compare England with Russia. We don’t pay so much money for broadcasting rights. Therefore, in the RPL there was a hopeless situation, and the championship is worth finishing.

- And what about the teams that could still compete for getting into European competitions?

- The owner of Spartak Leonid Fedun a few weeks ago called for the end of the season, although the red-and-white could compete for getting into the Europa League. It’s talking about something. Therefore, I believe that it is worth fixing the table as it is. Then wait for a calmer environment when the pandemic declines. I am sure that in June it will already be possible to slowly resume training, begin to prepare for the next season. It seems to me that most clubs are not against early termination of the season. But the last word remains with the leadership of the league.

- In that case, Zenit should be recognized as a champion?

- With such a margin, I already had no doubts about the final victory of the Petersburgers. There might be questions about tickets to European competitions, but in general, all the teams that usually play in them get there. The exception is Spartak. But in this situation, hardly anyone will complain. After all, we didn’t just wake up, drank coffee and decided to stop the season.

- If, nevertheless, a decision is made to finish the season, how will this affect the clubs that have fallen into European competitions?

- As I said, everything is very complicated. A football player is not a car. It will not work to change the wheel and go on. It must be correctly brought to the match.

In this case, it is necessary to prepare the whole composition, and in this situation, some will take on better shape, while others will get worse. It takes a lot of work to assemble this mosaic and make the team play. No matter how super-coach you are, in such conditions you will not bring the team to the right state. Therefore, most likely, it will be very difficult for our teams in European competitions to solve any big problems.

“Then what is better to do?”

- Calmly prepare for the new season, restore condition. In the case of the resumption of the championship, we will observe a kind of swing: someone will be better prepared, and someone worse.