Translated material
Sticks bald
The new league cannot find a common language with the Hockey Federation
Deputy Chairman of the Board of Gazprom and organizer of the Continental Hockey League (KHL) Alexander Medvedev held a press conference yesterday at which he explained why a common language has not yet been found with the Russian Hockey Federation (RHF). And he made it clear that the conflict, which threatens to split Russian hockey, will be resolved this morning, when he meets with the head of the Russian Hockey Federation Vladislav Tretyak at Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Naryshkin.Initially, it was planned that all news from the FHR and the KHL would be reported jointly. From the very first days this agreement was violated by the federation. As a result, after messages that appeared on news feeds of agencies last Saturday after a meeting of representatives of the KHL and the Hockey Federation with Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Naryshkin, the patience of the organizers of the new league came to an end. “At the meeting, all controversial issues between the FHR and the KHL were discussed,” says Mr. Medvedev. “And there was no reason for a scandal.” But the federation began to report completely incomprehensible things.”
Let us remind you that the FHR announced the impossibility of cooperating with the KHL. They say that the new organization did not provide all the necessary documents, and the finished regulations do not correspond to earlier agreements. “The Russian champion should be determined in a normal tournament,” the FHR emphasized. “And this title cannot be held by a club from our country that took the highest place in the new tournament.”
As you know, the Kontinental Hockey League has repeatedly emphasized that the country’s leadership, having given them the task of creating a high-level tournament, especially insisted that there should not be a split in Russian sports. That is why the KHL worked very closely with the federation. Members of the FHR were included in the organizing committee of the league and in the working group, and they were consulted. Moreover, the documents stipulated that on some issues the FHR had the right of veto.
But suddenly, last Saturday, the demands of Vladislav Tretyak’s entourage (he himself was not present at the meeting with Mr. Naryshkin due to illness) changed. Now the FHR no longer demanded 50% of management, but complete control over the league. The founders of the KHL were not going to agree to this. “Why on earth? - Mr. Medvedev is surprised. — We wrote the KHL regulations, we came up with all the rules. At the last meeting, all clubs supported the new laws. Why should the new structure be subordinate exclusively to the FHR?”
The position of the federation is also understandable. If they wanted to retain full power over the tournament, they do not have such powers in the rules of the new league. The only thing they can make unilaterally are decisions related to the national team. In other cases, questions are adopted by two-thirds of the votes. The FHR has long forgotten how to convince one’s position and argue one’s opinion. Clubs are only given orders.
The new league was also not satisfied with the way the FHR was going to resolve financial issues. “They demand money from us, but they don’t say what exactly,” Alexander Medvedev is perplexed. - We don’t mind paying, but give reasonable explanations. Show the program. And it turns out that they say that the money is needed for the national team. But the work of the national team is financed by the budget.”
At the same time, FHR has a significant drawback. This structure is not supported by clubs. Everyone has already confirmed that they will remain with the KHL until the end. And if they don’t give you the title of Russian champions for winning the new league, it doesn’t matter. However, Mr. Medvedev assures that there will be no split in Russian hockey.