“Fedor should be at the head”: Emelyanov about the problems of the MMA Union of Russia, the defeat of Gabdullin and the authority of Emelianenko

- On June 14, the election of the President of the MMA Union of Russia was held, which was won by Fedor Emelianenko.

And this despite the fact that initially the head of the Omsk Federation Andrei Terentyev, who later withdrew his candidacy in favor of the Last Emperor, had to compete with Radmir Gabdullin.

- We communicate very closely with Andrei Viktorovich.

I knew that Emelianenko himself nominated him for the presidency of the Union.

But I did not think that such a castling could happen at the last moment.

— What do you think, with what it can be connected?

- As far as I know, most regional organizations asked Fedor to head the Union.

Perhaps the change is due to this.

But I do not rule out that there was some pressure on the local federations from above.

Rumors have been circulating in recent days.

- Gabdullin has led the MMA Union of Russia since 2018.

What is your impression of his work?

- In 2022, four major tournaments were held: two national championships among youths, one among juniors, as well as the Russian championship among adults in Astrakhan.

Gabdullin appeared only at the last of them, and even then only at the opening ceremony and finals.

At all other starts, not a single person from the Union office was present.

I think it's a sign of work.

If a person heads a federation, supports his cause, then he should attend such competitions.

After all, it is on them that the teams are formed.

I have been working in the Omsk Federation for almost eight years, but I began to come into closer contact with the Union in the last three years, when I became the head coach of the Russian youth team.

During all this time, I never received a salary.

And this happens not only with me, but with my colleagues too.

In particular, with Terentyev, who since 2012 has held a similar position in the adult team.

Was it different before?

- When Fedor Vladimirovich was at the helm, the coaches were paid a salary.

“I would like to understand how the system works.

You are the head of the Ermak club, which is the base for Omsk.

Does he receive any funds from the budget of the Union?

- Not.

Basically, our federation exists on sponsorship money and is partially funded by the Ministry of Sports.

When we took the guys to two tournaments this year, we were paid for the road, but that's all.

And for the other two, we are unlikely to get money.

But I think that in the regions this is a normal phenomenon.

The Ministry helps with something, not with something.

Maybe I don't know everything.

Still, I'm more in the coaching part, and Andrey Viktorovich deals with such issues.

But I can say that in 2015 we spent 6 million rubles on holding the Russian Championship.

They themselves paid for everything: light, judges.

It is unlikely that the Union gave something.

Unless the city paid for the transportation.

- Did the absence of Gabdullin at these tournaments somehow affect the organization?

— No, everything was on the level.

Radmir arrived or not - it does not matter much.

The process is already debugged, there is no mess.

The judiciary is in contact with the organizers, with the coaching staff.

Moreover, all the senior coaches of the national team, headed by Gennady Kapshay, were present at the past competitions.

There were also Shamil Alibatyrov, Terentyev.

In fact, everything rests on their authority. 

- As far as is known, Terentiev himself expressed dissatisfaction with the work of Gabdullin.

And one of the reasons was the lack of a control and audit commission that would record all receipts and deductions in the Union.

Do I understand correctly that the question concerned primarily finances?

- I don’t have exact information, but certain claims were made.

It is not a coincidence that the right hand of the former leader, the executive director of the Union, Lenar Ganeev, was immediately dismissed.

And this does not speak of Emelianenko's ambitions, but of the presence of serious reasons.

As far as I know, he received the salary of a national team coach, although he was not one.

It must be understood that for Fedor himself this situation is extremely difficult.

After all, Radmir is his henchman.

If not for him, he would not have become president of the MMA Union.

After all, initially not a single person voted for Gabdullin.

And only when Emelianenko personally asked to be entrusted with this post, the candidacy was supported.

- If we assume for a second that pressure was really exerted on the regional federations, could this lead to Terentyev's castling over Emelianenko?

After all, the huge authority gave Fedor much more chances to win the elections.

- Quite possible.

These are the thoughts I have.

If they could be afraid to vote for Terentyev, then with Emelianenko it is a completely different matter.

This man is a legend.

When he is in the leadership of the federation, she does not experience any financial problems.

Certain situations may arise, but in his era at the championships of Russia, the winners were given cash rewards.

In 2015, he himself won the bronze of the tournament and received 25 thousand rubles.

— Isn't it like that now?

- In 2019, my pupil also took third place at the Russian Championship in Moscow.

The organizers approached him, asked for a phone number and promised to transfer money to the card.

They are still going.

- Speaking about the arrival of Emelianenko, how do you assess this decision in general?

- I think this is the best option at the moment.

I think that Emelianenko should remain president.

Perhaps a certain circle of people will appear who will solve pressing issues.

But Fedor should be at the head.

- But don't you think that Fedor may simply not have enough time to work in the Union?

Nevertheless, he is an active fighter and will soon have another fight, which is not a fact that will be his last, and this is not counting the development of Fedor Team.

- This moment, for sure, was a stumbling block.

But Emelianenko made a choice.

As I understand it, he was asked to return a long time ago: Andrei Viktorovich and other respected people spoke to him.

If he made such a decision, it should be weighed.

Personally, I am sure that this event will have a positive impact on the situation in the organization.

What would you personally like to see improved?

- It's no secret that people invested in the Union much more actively when Fedor was in charge.

It is a fact.

Nothing will happen without good funding.

Personally, I'm worried about the athletes, the coaches of the national team.

Maybe they'll start getting paid again.

Look at what fees for performances at the Russian Championships boxers rely on.

They are given cars, but in our country they cannot pay 15,000 rubles to a bronze medalist.

This is not serious.

Now everything rests on fanatics - people who give themselves to the sport.