“16 teams are not enough for such a large country”: how Russia reacted to the initiative to expand the RPL

“We have a big country, we need to play more matches”

The meeting of the RPL clubs, which took place on Thursday, January 16, at the league’s office on Trubnaya, turned out to be eventful. Firstly, the head of the organization Sergey Pryadkin was re-elected to his post. Secondly, the audience called for the reform of the Cup of Russia. And finally, a decision was made regarding the number of participants in the Premier League. RPL clubs by a majority of votes spoke in favor of expanding the elite division to 18 teams.

“The task was to increase the intensity of the championship. All clubs voted for more teams. Considered a bunch of options: playoffs, groups. All advocated a smooth championship, but with an extension. Clubs supported an increase in the number of teams to 18, ”Pryadkina quotes the“ Championship ”.

Representatives of clubs told a little more about the meeting at which the revolutionary decision was made. So, the general director of Ufa, Shamil Gazizov, noted that representatives of 14 teams spoke in favor of the expansion.

“Now the RFU must decide from what season all this will be implemented. We have a big country, we need to play more matches. This is the promise of the RFU. I think this decision will only benefit Russian football, ”said the functionary.

However, not all clubs voted for the expansion of the league. Against the current champion Zenit. The general director of the Petersburgers, Alexander Medvedev, explained that this reform could lead to big losses, and also noted that at the moment there were not enough teams in the FNL who were financially ready to play in the elite.

“The proposed scheme may lead to a drop in income and an increase in expenses. Most importantly, we are offered to expand the league from next season. In this case, six teams can rise from the FNL to the RPL immediately. If you refuse butt matches and direct departure, the sporting principle will be lost. And six clubs from the FNL, which have everything necessary for the RPL, we will not recruit, ”Medvedev explained.

Spartak also voted against. Director General of the red and white Thomas Zorn, like his colleague from the Northern capital, noted that the Premier League is currently not ready to expand to 18 teams.

“The economic prerequisites for expansion are not obvious. This applies both to the average attendance of matches in certain regions, and the level of income of clubs from the implementation of television and commercial rights. It seems to us that the RPL has not yet fully realized its potential in the existing format of 16 clubs in order to move towards expansion, ”the Spartak press service quoted Zorn as saying.

In turn, CSKA CEO Roman Babayev said that the expansion of the RPL in the coming year should not be expected, since it is necessary to prepare the ground.

“It is necessary to analyze the situation in the FNL and to expand so that the sporting principle is preserved. The RFU should consider our initiative, but we need to understand whether the FNL teams are ready to play in the RPL. If all the criteria succeed, then everything is possible. But I can’t imagine how to do it from next season without violating the sporting principle and taking into account licensing issues, ”Babayev said.

However, the final verdict on this issue in the right to accept only the Executive Committee of the RFU. Only on it can specific dates and the number of teams that will perform in the RPL be established.

“You need to use the World Cup legacy”

However, many football experts have now supported the initiative to expand the league. So, according to the former head coach of CSKA Valery Gazzayev, this will allow the RPL to comply with UEFA recommendations.

“The fact that the Russian Premier League needs to be expanded, I have repeatedly repeated since 2014. For such a large country, 16 teams is not enough. In addition, UEFA recommends that in the national championships of the country played from 18 to 20 teams in the "autumn - spring" system. Then all European teams will be on a single calendar, ”said Gazzaev in an interview with RT.

At the same time, the specialist emphasized that in Russia finally all the conditions for playing football appeared even in the cold season.

“Today we have a great infrastructure at our disposal. You need to use the legacy of the World Cup. Now is not the time when football was played in the mud, ”said the expert.

Former coach of the Russian youth team, Yevgeny Bushmanov, agreed that the RPL should follow the example of foreign leagues.

“In many European championships there are more participants, and this is normal practice. Do not be afraid of a gap between top clubs and teams from the bottom of the tournament table - this is a common occurrence. I am for the expansion of the RPL. They will play football more and more often, and that's great, ”Bushmanov said in a conversation with RT.

According to the expert, not only clubs will benefit from the expansion of the Premier League, but also the national team, as well as teams participating in European competitions.

“Football players will receive more practice, and this will benefit both the national team and clubs playing in European competitions,” he added.

“The issue of expansion has been a long time, this is not a spontaneous decision”

The innovation was also supported by one of the country's most experienced coaches, Haji Hajiyev. In his opinion, even difficult climatic conditions should not become an obstacle to the expansion of the league.

“Look at the western championships. In those countries where football is developed, there are much more matches than we have today. Yes, in our case it will be more difficult to carry out the reform because of the climate, but the issue of expansion has long been a question, this is not a spontaneous decision. This was talked about back in the 80s, when the "Olympic" was being built. It was discussed that subject to the emergence of new stadiums, the climate issue will not be so acute, but now this is happening, ”Gadzhiev told RT.

At the same time, the specialist noted that, despite the advantages of the innovation, it will be more difficult to draw up an optimal competition calendar with 18 participants.

“It used to be that everything was done as if by chance, as a result the teams had to play in the southern cities in the heat, and in the northern ones in the frost, although this could have been avoided. And if there are more clubs in the RPL, it will be more difficult to take into account the interests of the national team, as well as the teams participating in European competitions. But everyone else will get an advantage in the form of additional games. True, the requirements for football players will increase, and the teams will probably have to strengthen, because it will be difficult to maintain such a tight schedule, playing with one team, ”the coach emphasized.

Also, according to the expert, one of the main problems of the RPL is still not the number of participants, but the financial condition of the clubs.

“There may be more teams in the RPL, but the football economy in the country still limits the pace of development of this sport. I mean, in recent years a lot of teams have left the league, as we recall, and financial problems have become the reason for this. This trend may continue, ”the expert concluded.