Mutko’s press conference at ITAR-TASS was held on the occasion of the signing of the next sponsorship contract - with the Perekrestok and Pyaterochka retail chains, which in the next 6 years will bring the RFU $ 14 million. But the speech at this meeting with reporters was mainly not about that. Mutko told how big the organization went to him.
“I’ve recently met with UEFA representatives,” he said. - And so, it means that they have some complaints. And I have them to the map. He showed how big our country is. He showed that Magadan is also Russia.
They were probably very savvy foreigners, since after the story about Magadan, they immediately calmed down and fell behind the president of the RFU.
“In general, I want teams from all regions to be represented in our Premier League,” said Vitaly Leontyevich. - It would be nice if the team from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk played among the strongest.
It is interesting to know whether those teams that are still moving away from a flight to Vladivostok would be pleased.
Everything went quietly and peacefully until Vitaly Mutko was asked a question about match-fixing in the Russian championship. The presenter of the press conference tried to curb the journalist’s curiosity, but he was rudely pulled. Mutko really wanted to speak out on this subject.
- Do we have any “agreements”? - Boiled the head of the RFU. - How do you imagine that? So many legionnaires are playing in Russia! They would have written about it in their memoirs a long time ago.
True, then the president cooled down a bit.
- Russian football, like the rest of society, is prone to vices. There is dirt everywhere, and football is no exception, ”he admitted. And then he got nervous again. - But why is such attention paid to the vices of football? These specialists who talk about match-fixing are like Martians descending on a white horse.
So - figuratively and expressively - Mutko, it turns out, said that everyone has long known about contractual matches. But then the logic of the president of the RFU issued a new fort.
“Facts, facts, give us the facts,” the head of Russian football turned to reporters. - But there are no facts. You know, a footballer in Lipetsk who was shot in the arm refused all testimonies. We understand what country we live in.
These words seemed even more ominous when they realized that they were being pronounced by a member of the Federation Council.
About the notorious expert advice, which was supposed to deal with the match-fixing, you can forget. He will not make any decisions, even if all of his members are healthy and finally come to watch suspicious matches.
“It was Nikolai Tolstoy who invented it,” Mutko admitted. - He said, check me the match “Falcon” - “Kuban”. He was surprised that four members of the main team did not play in the Krasnodar club, but they still won - 3-0.
In addition, Vitaly Leontyevich disavowed his statements that he asked to check the matches of “Tom” - “Wings of the Soviets” and “Rostov” - CSKA.
- Who said about these matches? - He looked into everyone’s eyes, but everyone kept his gaze. - I did not say! Who? Ask him.
In general, Russian football again remained clean.
- Do you know that we are already in third place in Europe in terms of profitability? - suddenly boasted Vitaly Mutko TV reporter.
A couple more of these seasons, and in the RFU will provide themselves for many years.
Alexey Shevchenko