Knockout game

Channel One Cup canceled

One of Roman Abramovich's most notable football projects - the Channel One Cup - fell victim to the crisis. Yesterday, the head of the National Academy of Football (NAF) Foundation, Sergei Kapkov, citing a lack of funding, announced the cancellation of the tournament, which was supposed to be held in Israel in the last days of January. According to preliminary estimates, this decision will save NAF and its founder Roman Abramovich at least $5 million.

Before it died, the Channel One Cup (CPC) was in agony for a short time. After a number of sponsors refused their obligations, it was decided not to pay the prize fund. Last year it was $2 million, exactly half of which went to the winner. The estimate was also reduced for other items. In particular, it was decided to hold the tournament in one week - from January 26 to February 1, playing two matches a day.

Then the football clubs that refused to play contributed to the demise of the tournament. Moscow Spartak and Dynamo, Kazan Rubin and St. Petersburg Zenit considered the format, timing and financial conditions unacceptable for themselves. The teams he hastily looked for to replace him - the Samara "Wings of the Soviets" and the Uzbek "Bunyodkor" - did not meet the expectations of the other participants. The last one to announce a possible refusal to play in the tournament was its permanent participant Shakhtar Donetsk. Apparently, this decided the fate of the Channel One Cup.

First of all, the news of the cancellation was received with relief in the Russian Football Union. Initially, the CCP was perceived there as some kind of alternative to the gradually dying Commonwealth Champions Cup. RFU President Vitaly Mutko pointedly ignored the Israeli tournament and on the sidelines more than once expressed dissatisfaction with this NAF initiative.

In the foundation itself, the CCP was considered as a possible prototype of the united championship of Russia and Ukraine. The project of creating such a Russian-Ukrainian championship was at one time of great interest to Roman Abramovich and his football advisers. First of all, Ukrainian clubs were partial to such an initiative. They also reacted most negatively to the cancellation of the Channel One Cup. “I believe that this is an incorrect decision in relation to Dynamo Kyiv,” the head coach of the Kiev team, Yuri Semin, was harsh in his assessment. - We have already planned our preparations. We hoped to host this tournament to prepare for the UEFA Cup. And that’s why I’m at a loss.”

Andrey VDOVIN