“I’m not ready to agree - bye”: Koloskov on salary cuts, the fall-spring system and the championship of Belarus

“At the end of April, we must sit down and finally decide”

- UEFA President Alexander Cheferin said that the season in Europe could resume in mid-May, early June or late June. Should we expect that in May, football will return to the stadiums?

- UEFA believes in the best. It is no coincidence that Cheferin named these dates. It all depends on the situation with coronavirus in Russia and the world. After all, the finish of the season is not only for the RPL representatives. The country has a huge number of teams. I will be optimistic: in my opinion, in mid-May in Russia the season will resume. In this case, it can be safely completed before the end of June, as planned by UEFA.

- If you do not succeed, then how to finish the season?

- Nothing to play out. I think that at the end of April we should sit down and finally decide: should we play further or not. If there are no prospects to resume the season, it should simply be completed ahead of schedule, and a new start, as expected, in July.

- That is, Russian football can follow the path of hockey, volleyball and basketball, where the season ended ahead of schedule?

- It is possible. I do not see other options. Further there is no point in delaying. If such a decision is made, competitions in all leagues will simply be declared void.

- Will the champion and medalists be determined in this case?

- You don’t need to do anything with medals. Champion will not be announced. Also, no one will fly out of the RPL. I repeat, the season will simply be declared invalid. He passed, but did not end.

- And what about trips to European competitions?

- They will be determined according to the position of the teams in the Premier League standings at the time the tournament stops. Everything is logical and simple.

- Will the teams agree with this?

- There is no other way. Or we’ll just not play in European competitions. Understand that it is impossible to declare a champion when the season is not over, because eight more rounds are left until the end. The same applies to the departure zone. With tickets to the European Cups, the story is different. In this situation, we are on the path of least loss. If someone does not like this situation, you can refuse to participate.

“As for transfer windows, FIFA will solve this problem as well”

- Some experts suggested taking advantage of the forced pause and returning Russian football to the “spring - autumn” system, which is more suitable for our climate. It's real?

- They began to scold the current system only recently. Nobody talked about this before, everyone played in silence, except that some bold voices of coaches and journalists sounded. I can say that initially there were no conditions for the transition to the "autumn - spring" system. They simply mechanically swapped the circles.

Ten years ago I said that for such a reform it is necessary to open arenas for 5-10 thousand spectators, stadiums as in St. Petersburg. Do it all and then move on. Why didn’t they even erect a roof on at least two or three of the arenas that were built for the World Cup? In the future, no one wants to work. As a result, we do not play in the summer, and in the winter we mix mud with snow.

- And yet, is it possible under the current conditions to return to the previous system?

- I think such throwing will not lead to anything good, “Autumn - Spring” is still more promising. You just need to do some serious work, not swap circles. And so in three or four years there will again be hotheads who want to change everything.

- At the moment, all clubs are suffering serious losses. Should we expect a reduction in the salaries of football players?

- The role of player unions is important here, for example, they carry out a lot of work in the American leagues. But in European football the system is different. All clubs must not be allowed to make different decisions. In this case, you get some kind of devilry. However, FIFA President Gianni Infantino recommended reducing the salaries of footballers by 50%.

- But not all players will agree to this.

- It is necessary to look for some way out of the situation, because the clubs suffer enormous losses. Matches do not pass, stadiums are empty, television does not show games, advertising is not for sale. In the meantime, it turns out that some players are ready to give up half of the salary, the second - from a quarter, and still others are not going to make concessions. But if you are not ready to agree - bye, this is force majeure.

- What to do with the contracts of football players that expire on June 30?

- This issue is solved very simply. The agreements of the players will be automatically extended until the actual end of the season. As for transfer windows, FIFA will solve this problem. She will expand the windows to the required dates in case the season is resumed.

- Do not you think that FIFA and UEFA themselves do not know what to do in this situation?

- Each confederation has the right to make independent decisions in this situation. For example, UEFA recommended clubs to cut salaries for football players by 50%. FIFA does not intervene in these matters. The Union of European Football Associations also identified several possible dates for the resumption of the season.

- How do you feel about the fact that people still play football in Belarus? Does it make sense to risk the health of players?

- If the country has not introduced quarantine, and the number of infected is per unit, why not continue the season. The country is isolated and does not affect the overall situation. What is the use of adapting to everyone? If possible, let them play. Yet Belarus is not such a big country as Russia. This is a compact state.

Another thing, I am amazed by Match TV, which bought the rights to show the championship of Belarus. On Friday I tried to watch two matches. This is some kind of pornography, nonsense. No spectators, no skill, nothing. And we are showing this nonsense on central television. Previously, on TV was the heading "Heroes of Sports." So show these heroes! Show the final of the Olympic football tournament in Seoul in the 1988 USSR - Brazil. Show the 1979 Hockey Challenge Cup. Why should I watch the BATE or some kind of brains?