“Not a subject of Russian football”: Slutsky escaped sanctions for criticizing the leadership of “Rotor”

“We can’t apply any sanctions”

Leonid Slutsky, the head coach of the Dutch Vitessa, escaped punishment from the Russian Football Union (RFU) for his ambiguous remarks about the leadership of the Volgograd Rotor. The ethics committee emphasized that they could not impose sanctions on a specialist who does not work in Russia.

“Now Slutsky is the coach of the Dutch club Vitess, he is not a subject of Russian football, therefore, the ethics committee cannot apply any sanctions to him,” quotes the director of communications of the RFU, Kirill Melnikov, TASS.

The representative of the RFU also called on the parties to resolve the conflict as soon as possible, which, in their opinion, could have a negative impact on the reputation of Russian football.

“The RFU is ready to be a mediator of relations between investors and the regional leadership, it is important to join efforts for the development of this sport,” Melnikov concluded.

A week ago, in an interview with the Krasava Youtube channel, Slutsky said that the Volgograd Rotor needed an academy to pass licensing before joining the Football National League (FNL) in the 2017/18 season. In this role, a school belonging to the coach acted.

As a result, Slutsky, he said, was forced to cover the costs of Rotor at his own expense. At the same time, the Volgograd club refused a number of coaches and teams from the academy and did not allow Slutsky to send juniors for training in the Netherlands at his own expense. At the same time, the specialist did not have any authority in the joint project, and the cost of renting the fields was increased for his school.

“Why does this always happen to us? Because morons lead, unfortunately. And I'm talking about Rotor right now. Too much ego, too much power. I’m not saying that they trained with my balls, my equipment, my uniform. Their form appeared only in March. Nobody has ever said thanks, ”complained Slutsky.

Criticism of a specialist outraged the leadership of the Volgograd region. The chairman of the public council at the committee for physical culture and sports of the region, Stella Vartanyan, filed an application addressed to the head of the RFU Alexander Dyukov with a request to consider the words of Slutsky, described by her as "insulting." The mentor of Vitesse was accused of libel and asked the organization to assess the situation.

At the same time, the actions of Slutsky were condemned by a member of the ethics committee of the RFU Andrei Sozin. In his opinion, the specialist made harsh remarks, not fully understanding the situation, since Rotor is sponsored from the federal budget. At the same time, Sozin called for a condescending attitude towards a specialist who does not have sufficient experience in resolving detailed issues.

“If it were his personal academy, then he would do anything. But he came to Rotor, there is a federal budget, federal money and money of a private investor cannot be disturbed. They are responsible for them and play according to federal rules. Whether they are good or bad is the third thing. He decided that if he gave the money, then now he must lead, ”quotes Sozin Sport24.

Two conflicts in one week

Such harsh statements by Slutsky, famous for his restraint and calm, surprised many. However, it is worth noting that recently he has been at the center of yet another controversial situation. This is a conflict within Vitesse, from which, however, the mentor emerged with dignity.

In one of the team’s training sessions, midfielder Richedley Bazur had a fight with striker Jay Roy Grotto. The matter could reach a brawl, but the teammates who intervened in time managed to prevent it. Then the Dutchman promised to deal with the offender in the locker room, which the head coach did not like.

Slutsky asked Bazur to leave training, to which he rudely replied that he did not want to play on his team at all. As a result, Vitesse's leadership suspended the midfielder for an indefinite period.

In turn, the coach admitted that he does not attach much importance to what happened, although he regrets that the team lost a strong football player.

“His future in the team does not depend on me, but on the leadership of the club. This is a very difficult situation. We also deal with the environment of Bazur. I do not know how and when this situation will be resolved. But we are waiting for action on his part, ”the specialist noted.

Soon, the press service of Vitessa reported that Bazur apologized to his teammates, coaching staff and fans and returned to the team’s camp.