“Stadiums will go under the hammer, but this cannot be allowed”: why they decided to save Tom from bankruptcy

The Tom football club, which has been experiencing huge financial problems for several years now, retains a chance to play in FNL-2 next season.

Although even the day before it seemed that the club with a 65-year history would cease to exist.

The team, following the results of the completed championship, took 14th place and retained the right to play in the Football National League, but failed to pass the RFU licensing in June.

As Maxim Mitrofanov, deputy general secretary of the organization, explained at the time, the Siberians did not provide any financial guarantees.

“The club announced the budget, but could not provide a single document for a single ruble - no subsidies, no letters, no commercial contracts with any kind of sponsor.

During this year, he has debts to the players and employees, which did not allow the RFU to conclude that it is possible to issue a license, ”TASS quoted Mitrofanov as saying.

At the same time, Tom retained the chances of playing in the third most important division of the country.

However, in this case, the club still required documents that would convince the RFU of the existence of a livelihood.

“There is a different budget, but it needs to be confirmed anyway,” Mitrofanov added.

At the end of May, the Acting Governor of the Tomsk Region, Vladimir Mazur, said that the financing of "Tom" from the budget "is not, cannot and will not be discussed."

It was planned to continue to support only the academy.

At the same time, Mazur sent a letter of support to the RFU.

“I don’t even consider this option.

Only sponsorship, and this is the task of both the administration and the leadership of the football club.

The fate of "Tom" does not depend on the authorities.

It depends on the team itself, its game and victories.

I sincerely wish these victories to our players and fans," Mazur added.

As a result, the leadership of Tom could only rely on its own strength and applied for a license to participate in the FNL-2 championship, but on June 27, the RFU again refused to issue a document to the club.

As Sergey Simonov, press officer of the team, explained, there were not enough guarantees from the head of the region.

“We provided documents that we can provide for ourselves on our own, but without the signature of Acting Governor Vladimir Mazur, this all has no weight,” Simonov explained.

Later, Mazur said that it was impossible to allow the club to go bankrupt.

“In 2014, by decision of the regional authorities, Trud and Temp were transferred to the balance of FC Tom.

Non-payment of wages means the bankruptcy of the club, and the stadiums will go under the hammer.

This cannot be allowed!

So I urgently found money to cover payroll debts.

This will avoid bankruptcy and save stadiums.

That is, to leave them in the ownership of the region,” wrote Mazur in the Telegram channel.

At the same time, the management of Tom does not have to wait for an easy life.

The acting governor continues to insist that the team should not exist at the expense of the region.

“I perfectly understand how significant Tom is for its fans.

Still, 65 years of the club is an era.

At the same time, I consider it fundamental that its funding should still remain with the sponsors.

I will not allow budget money to be spent on guest stars.

The Tomsk region has many problems, the solution of which is a top priority for us, such as medicine, education, roads, and so on.

We will solve them first of all,” Mazur added.

Former head coach and adviser to the President of "Tom" Valery Nepomnyashchiy admitted that he does not lose hope that the club will be saved.

“Unfortunately, I do not know the details.

I said earlier, I don’t believe that Tomsk, being an absolutely football city, can be left without a team.

She is loved by the fans at all times, and suddenly a new person came, and such an opportunity.

The threat of parting with professional status loomed.

This would be a big loss.

After all, "Tom" has always held the palm among teams beyond the Urals.

Therefore, I will be glad if we manage to save the club.

Although for me it's a little annoying that he went down to FNL-2.

And even here they almost lost it, ”Nepomniachtchi said in an interview with RT.

At the same time, according to the specialist, he was always surprised why Tom could not find sponsors.

“This is a big and difficult topic for me, since the region is rich in resources and people,” the RT interlocutor added.

In recent years, many football clubs have ceased to exist.

The last of them was Anji, which won bronze medals in the Russian Championship.

The team, where Roberto Carlos once performed, was the brainchild of Suleiman Kerimov.

After he sold it, problems began, and in May 2022, Makhachkala residents were unable to obtain a license from the RFU due to wage arrears.

Last year, Tambov was left without a professional football club.

Here it all ended in litigation: team general director Olga Konovalova and sports director Pavel Khudyakov were detained for fraud on an especially large scale.

I could not stay afloat and "Tosno".

The team won the Russian Cup in 2018, but almost immediately after that, they were denied a license to play in the FNL championship.

Potential investors did not want to invest in the team.

In the same season, Amkar ceased to exist, although the Permians took 13th place in the RPL standings, and then retained their place in the elite through play-offs.

However, in 2021 the club was revived and has already spent a season in the PFL.