The leadership of the Football National League held an extraordinary video conference, in which the leaders of all 20 championship clubs took part. The main issue on the agenda was the early termination of the 2019/20 season due to the coronavirus epidemic in Russia. During the meeting, it was found that the teams will not be able to fully complete the tournament in the allotted time, as a result of which it will be logical to determine the final position in the table based on the results of 27 rounds.
“In the course of joint communication, we reiterated the earlier voiced opinion: within the indicated timeframe from June 21 to August 2 it is impossible to fully complete the FNL Olympics Championship in the format provided for by the regulations. This conclusion was adopted unanimously. This position will be reported to the leadership of the RFU, since the final decision on the completion of the tournament is in any case with this organization, ”the League’s press service quotes the statement of the head of the FNL.
At the same time, it is reported that Torpedo, Chertanovo and Neftekhimik proposed to postpone the end date of the championship. As a result, the teams received enough time to complete the current season, albeit at the cost of a later start next. However, Efremov said that this idea was considered "even less likely to be implemented."
“In this case, the new season in the Premier League will have to start later than even the most“ negative ”scenario presented earlier provides. Given the rotation of teams between leagues, a certain synchronization of calendars is necessary, ”said Efremov.
According to Efremov, in the course of numerous meetings, options were also considered with holding additional matches and mini-tournaments both for trips to the RPL and for the right to remain in the FNL. However, such initiatives also did not find support.
“The vast majority of FNL clubs consider such an idea to be unrealizable and ultimately not solving the issue of maintaining the sporting principle, which actually affects not two or three teams, but all 20,” concluded Efremov.
Thus, “Rotor” and “Khimki” received direct tickets to the RPL, and “Chertanovo” and “Torpedo” - an opportunity to argue for the right to play in the Premier League in butt games. Provided that the coronavirus epidemic does not force the RPL to refuse to conduct such. Mordovia, Fakel, Tekstilshchik, Spartak-2 and Luch, who had already voiced their desire to withdraw from the FNL draw due to budget cuts, ended up in the relegation zone.
The idea to stop the FNL championship was supported in the leadership of Khimki near Moscow. General Director Vasily Ivanov called this “the most correct decision” and expressed the view that it would be impossible to conduct the remaining 11 rounds in two months.
“It is clear that the teams that were lower in the table are upset. And they can be understood. It happened, but no one thought that such a situation would happen. You just have to accept it. If we play out in such a short time, then, probably, it will undermine the health of the players, ”RIA Novosti quoted Ivanova as saying.
💥 Chic goal of Dmitry Tsypchenko from @FCChertanovo in the match of the 10th round of Olympus-FNL.
His goals in the endings brought Muscovites 5 points - he also scored the winner in Saransk in the last seconds, and also equalized the score in the game with Neftekhimik.
More videos about Olympus FNL in Yandex Air only☝️ pic.twitter.com/A5Y6QRuTjb
This opinion is shared not only by the leaders of the tournament, but also by its outsiders. In the last, 20th line of “Mordovia” they also said that it was not possible to finish the championship.
“We understand that it is unrealistic to conduct 11 rounds in such a short time. Therefore, it is logical that the season probably will not be played out, ”said Nikolai Levin, director of the Sarantsevs.
It is not surprising that the greatest disagreement with the decision on the early completion of the championship was expressed by clubs that have real chances to compete for the right to play in the RPL. Chertanovo has as many points as those holding the second line of Khimki (54 each), and is second only to them in terms of personal meetings. Torpedo is only one point behind the counterpart, and three behind the leading Rotor, and Neftekhimik also has chances to continue the struggle for a direct hit in the Premier League. The lag of the Nizhnekamsk team from the second place is six points, which can well be played in more than a quarter of the season.
“The club opposed the suspension of the FNL, it was not needed. We had our own plans. Neftekhimik was ready to play in the RPL, and now we are ready for this, ”said Neftekhimik director Ayrat Ismagilov to the Championship.
Chertanovo also confirmed that they opposed the premature stop of the competition. According to director Nikolai Larin, the FNL is not obliged to end the season on August 2, because it is not burdened with the need to provide UEFA with lists of teams for speaking in European competitions.
“I believe that the sporting principle could prevail, even taking into account that the next Premier League season would have to start later in order to enable representatives of the FNL to play butt games. Provided that the RPL championship is not played out, I earnestly ask the people on whom it depends to give Chertanovo the opportunity to compete for access to the top division. The RFU knows about our desires, but here we can’t do anything, ”said Larin TASS.
In addition, the head of Chertanovo turned to the RPL with a request to meet the Moscow club and expand the number of championship participants to 20 teams. And this despite the fact that at the moment 16 teams are playing in the top division of Russia.
“That would be fair. If this does not happen now, then our country may never know this. The Academy has been training football players for 12 years, and then goes to the Premier League with them. It is important for our entire state that such an example be, ”concluded Larin.
However, Armavir may well confuse the cards with the leaders. As it became known, the club from the Krasnodar Territory expressed a desire to withdraw from the FNL draw, which was subsequently confirmed by Efremov. According to the competition rules, this event can fundamentally change the position of teams in the upper part of the tournament table.
According to paragraph 4.7 of the FNL regulation for the 2019/20 season, if a team that has voluntarily retired or is eliminated has spent 50% or more championship matches, then a technical defeat is counted only in the second round meetings. During the second part of the season, only “Torpedo” managed to meet with “Armavir” and lost with a score of 0: 2, while “Rotor”, “Chertanovo”, “Khimki” and “Neftekhimik” did not have time to fight with the wards of Arsen Papikyan.
In this case, “Torpedo” can get three points for a technical victory over “Armavir” and rise to the first line, ahead of “Rotor” in personal meetings. And Khimki with Chertanovo will be in third and fourth positions, respectively.
The final decision on the fate of the 2019/20 season in the FNL will be made at the RFU Executive Committee, which is scheduled for May 15.