The St. Petersburg flooded again

Gennady Timchenko became chairman of the Board of Directors of the KHL. A little more, and the league will turn into the arena of the battle of friendly (in quotation marks and without) corporations

Gennady Timchenko became chairman of the Board of Directors of the KHL.

Gennady Timchenko became chairman of the Board of Directors of the KHL. A little more, and the league will turn into the arena of the battle of friendly (in quotation marks and without) corporations.

No one knows exactly what state the “friend of Putin” and the largest oil industry Gennady Timchenko owned-in one estimates he is the 12th among Russian billionaires, according to others-the first. But everyone now knows that he became the chairman of the board of directors of the Continental Hockey League. Being simultaneously president and chairman of the board of directors of St. Petersburg SKA - but this is not considered a combination. So, a trifle and little things.

About Timchenko as a hockey player or amateur of hockey last year, nothing was known either - until the head of the Gazpromexport and the president of the Continental Hockey League Alexander Medvedev lost his place in the St. Petersburg club. This somewhat dumped the tension in relation to the dominance of the “St. Petersburg” in the leadership of domestic hockey (the real power in it belongs to the KHL, and by no means the Russian hockey federation). But it was, as it turned out, only a temporary respite. Now they flooded again.

It is not clear why they need it. No, everything is correct and beautiful in words: “I hope my considerable experience in business, enthusiasm, and professional attitude to hockey will help to raise the KHL and Russian hockey as a whole at an even higher qualitative level.” Vyacheslav Fetisov, in whose place Gennady Timchenko came, also had no less ambitious goals. But Fetisov, a little better versed in hockey, than his successor, as chairman of the board of directors of the KHL, rather, played the role of a wedding general. In May, he slammed the door loudly, while leaving the post of President CSKA due to disagreements with the new general sponsor. The sponsor represented by Rosneft was personally appointed by V.V. Putin, so there was no particular to argue.

An effective hockey manager from a professional did not work, now it is interesting what will come from the amateur. It is clear that with the advent of Timchenko, the positions of the President of the League Alexander Medvedev are wearing the leading structures of the KHL. Alexander Ivanovich is also an advanced amateur, but for the most part romantic - the KHL turned out to be quite a pretty and spectacular, but extremely ineffective project. But Gennady Nikolaevich does not hide in the clouds, he does not like to be photographed with stars (and generally photographed), he does not make large -scale statements. He probably loves hockey, but this love is quite rational. It is difficult to say how applies to its specific (to put it mildly) business performance in new activities.

But the vector can be traced quite clearly: a little more, and the KHL will turn into the arena of the battle of friendly (in quotation marks and without) corporations. Those who have not sucked to them have an unenviable fate - and these are at least two -thirds of the KHL clubs. The market will overheat wildly, it is time to forget about the notorious ceiling of salaries - it remains only with a nominal lever of equalization of forces. And only those who have already cried out the money from the already money. I doubt very much that the new chairman of the board of directors will begin with self -restraint - after Rosneft entered the arena and seriously took up the return of the CSKA brand, there is nowhere to retreat to Peter. The oligarch clubs of the previous spill still observed some kind of decency (in any case in relation to each other), and new rules do not know: do not regret money, do not take prisoners.

Hockey resists. He is tenacious to the impossibility, that is why the whole country rejoices when the monster that is still tangled from the injections remains with nothing. And here we approach the main - the leaders of the St. Petersburg SKA did everything to hate this club with fierce hatred. Hockey players are not to blame that a curse hangs over the team - no matter how SKA plays (and last season, already under Timchenko, he played quite decently), he will certainly beat him on his near and distant approaches. Teams that “weigh” are many times less. With such money-not a single finale, not a single title in five incredibly well-fed years!

Given this attitude to draw another leading position of the representative of Peter - for all points of view it is unreasonable. It doesn’t matter if Medvedev and Timchenko will lobby for the interests of his long -suffering brainchild or take care of the prosperity of all Russian hockey - there is a persistent feeling that such a concentrated presence in power smells bad. This amber is not the first year, but the hockey was a little to the side, which saved him. On the other hand, when the authorities cared what they think about him? It is important not the opinion of the lower classes, but the opinion of those who put you to the position.

With publicity, Gennady Timchenko has big problems. He is other things. But here, by will, we will have to open the face.