Mutko slams relaxed RFU rules on foreign players

By David Gold

July 6 – Vitaly Mutko, Russia’s Sports Minister, has hit out at the “irresponsible” decision to relax the rules over how many foreign players can play in the country’s Premier League.

From next season clubs can field seven foreign players at any one time, rather than the current limit of six, after a decision by the Russian Football Union (RFU) this week.

There has been an influx of foreigners into the Russian game of late.

Rich teams such as Anzhi Makhachkala have spent large sums to bring some of the world’s most recognisable faces to Russia, such as Samuel Eto’o (pictured above, left) and Roberto Carlos.

Bringing through young Russians has been a key issue of late, with few coming through the country’s leading clubs.

CSKA Moscow’s Alan Dzagoev (pictured below, left) is an example of one who has managed to break through despite the number of foreigners in the league, but the Russia international is a rarity.

According to the Moscow News as few as 64 players in the first teams of Russian Premier League clubs next season could be eligible for the national team.

That will be a major concern with Russia hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2018 and keen to make an impression on home soil, as many of the current team will be near or at the end of their careers by then.

“I think that the RFU executive committee has made an irresponsible decision,” Mutko was quoted as saying on the sports ministry website.

“It is for the sake of a few clubs and does not take into account the interests of the state.”

Mutko is a former RFU President who introduced foreign player restrictions of seven players on the pitch at any one time in 2005, which lasted until 2009.

Mutko also recently hit out at the RFU for changing the calendar of Russian football to move into line with major European leagues from August to spring.

His successor, Sergei Fursenko, recently quit as head of the RFU following the country’s disappointing and surprise exit at the group stage of the 2012 UEFA European Championship.

Mutko also said that the decision should not have been made while the RFU was without a President, and has pledged to do what he can to reverse the change, through legislation if necessary.

“I think it’s a logical decision,” said Sergei Kapkov, the vice-president of the RFU, defending the move.

“This is the position of clubs.

“We need them to win, we need their competition.”

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