Basket with functionaries

Is it true that Russian teams in basketball were driven out of European championships

This week it became known that Russia can fall under sanctions in the most unexpected field: basketball teams risk being beyond the board of international competitions. The removal from the competition is mentioned in a letter that the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) allegedly sent the Russian (RFB). True, except for Russian officials, no one saw this message. The basketball commentator and expert Zurab, reading, at the request of Medusa, figured out what was happening and told this story for those who watch basketball once every four years at the Olympics.

Actors

Sergey Chernov, functionary. For more than a decade (now secretly, then obviously), he has been led by Russian basketball. Many scandals and subcover intrigues are associated with his name; It is expected that in the very near future he will lose power in the Russian Federation of basketball.

Julia Anikueva, functionary. Executive Director of the RFB, protege Sergei Chernov. I won the election for the post of head of the RFB in 2013 under mysterious circumstances, the court canceled their results.

Andrey Kirilenko, basketball player, beginner functionary. The legend of the Russian basketball, which has just finished his sports career. The main contender for the post of the new head of the RFB.

Sergey Ivanov, Head of the Presidential Administration of Russia. The main one in Russian basketball. The Honorary President and inspirer of the VTB United League - the International basketball tournament, an analogue of the KHL in hockey.

Despite the constant scandals in the federation, the male and female teams of Russia have achieved significant success at the turn of the decade, but in recent years they have been defeated. The male team in 2012 for the first time in the history of the country won the bronze of the Olympiad, but failed the Eurobasket -2013. The women's team in 2007 and 2011 was the first at the European Championships, but in 2013 it was outside the first dozen, and in 2015 took sixth place.

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The news of the removal of Russian teams from participating in international tournaments has many misleading. The media, almost never remembers of basketball, felt the smell of blood: Russia fell under new sanctions, our athletes lost international championships! Few people carefully bother to study the real situation. And she, meanwhile, is curious and contradictory.

Apparently, we are not talking about an attempt by FIBA ​​functionaries (the International Basketball Federation) to reckon Russian colleagues, which became almost impossible to cooperate with constant vessels and squabbles, and that it was Russian colleagues (that is, the current leadership of the RFB) are trying to remain in power using good connections in the Central Committee of Fiba and scandals as a pressure method. When there are no other ways to influence the situation, blackmail is going on.

Long dive

Russian basketball is in the deepest crisis. How did this happen? Thanks to vigorous populism and poster patriotism. And also now the honorary, and once the real President of the RFB, Sergei Viktorovich Chernov.

For the first time, he received a knockout (as it seemed) blow five years ago from the spitelers. Then an audio recording sailed, on which the arbitrators, in general, the inaccessible game Dynamo - Lokomotiv, discussed details with the commissar of the match, were clearly not intended for an extraneous ear (the audio recording itself was no longer available, but the decoding remained ). Technologies for ensuring “correct” results, as well as some “black” and “Viktorych”, supposedly directly stripping these processes, were mentioned.

Chernov disowned the accusations, and called the record an engagement and fabricated. This anonymous well -wisher, who sent the first entry from the judicial room to the editorial office of the Championship portal, answered the second audio file. He turned out to be the original of this conversation - not cut and not mounted - with a few hours of “garbage”, including conversations for life and long pauses. All “engaged” and “fabricated”, however, remained in place and the impression made exactly the same.

Minister of Sports Vitaly Mutko intervened in the situation. Attacked by journalists, he called the President of the RFB to the carpet, but unexpectedly for everyone he instructed himself and his sponsored to investigate the scandal. So Sergey Chernov began to look for the mysterious “black” and no less mysterious “Viktorch”. The search did not lead to anything. But it was found that the first record was really mounted (which was not disputed by anyone), and the organization did not find funds for the organization of the examination on the second.

Club representatives joined protesting journalists who, in protest, who left the Russian Championship held by the RFB. As a result, Chernov managed to squeeze from the post of president of the Federation. The new elected head of the Federation in 2010 was the president and actual owner of the St. Petersburg Spartak Alexander Krasnenkov. The figure was a compromise - as it seemed then arranging everyone. And the reorganization of the structure of the RFB and the methods of its work encouraged: young enthusiasts instead of old apparatchiks, established work with teams, very good sports results.

But Krasnenkov nevertheless made one mistake, having entered into a conflict with the main curator of the entire Russian basketball - the head of the presidential administration Sergei Ivanov. Krasnenkov was in no hurry to give the right to hold the championship of the country to the KHL basketball analogue - the Unified VTB League. And Ivanov, whose brainchild is this league, was in a hurry to get the right to get. Krasnenkov probably relied on his Gazprom ties - and lost this war with a bang. Even the medals of the European and the Olympiad championship won in a row did not help. Moreover, the president lost not only his post, but in the near future and in general any influence in Russian basketball. His "Spartak", the main forge of talents in the history of basketball Russia, in 2014 also ceased to exist

Anikeeva victory

New elections are new opportunities, and here Chernov again came to the forefront. All this time he was an honorary president of the RFB. The temporarily acting head of the federation was appointed Julia Anikeeva, close to Chernov, and at the time remaining until new elections, all the resistants were fired from the RFB.

Anikeeva won the election in 2013. Her rival, famous for the basketball player Svetlana Abrosimova, neither the sympathy of the public, nor the powerful support from the powerful CSKA and entrepreneur Mikhail Prokhorov (owning the American Brooklyn Nets) basketball team) did not help. The outcome of the struggle was decided by the ties of Chernov, who relied on regional organizations participating in the reporting and election conference.

The next years were whatever, but not boring. The RFB was submitted to the Perm Basketball Federation, which filed a lawsuit against the recognition of elections by illegitimate. I quarreled with women's clubs that did not wait for the promises given in exchange for votes in the elections (for example, to reduce the size of contributions for participating in the championship). I gave it free of charge the right to hold the Male Championship of Russia the Unified VTB League - in order to raise the issue of revising this decision in a year. The course for “Russification” and the rejection of naturalized players were announced, after which the American Epifani Prince almost powered the women's team in the women's team.

The male team during this period has completely turned into a laughinghouse of a European scale. At first, under completely shameful circumstances, the Greek specialist Fotis Catsikaris was expelled. Against the backdrop of patriotic slogans, a young, promising and successful coach Vasily Karasev, who received a loan of trust, despite possible failures at first, was invited to the national team. Needless to say, Karasev was fired after the first unsuccessful tournament.

The RFBD managed to spoil the relationship even with the players. A humiliating attempt to force them to undergo an additional medical examination in order to confirm injuries caused almost a rebellion.

This joyless picture was complemented by huge debts that the Federation managed to accumulate during the activities of the “Provisional Government”. By the summer of 2015, no one had any doubts that the RFB has risen in the RFB. Judicial decisions made them inevitable: the Presnensky court of Moscow recognized the elections in which Anikeeva defeated, invalid, and the Khamovniki court decided in June 2015 that re-election should be held before the end of August.

New elections and a letter with threats

There is only one real candidate in the new elections. The legendary basketball player Andrei Kirilenko (this summer he ended the player’s career) - absolute support from everywhere. He does not intend to leave the “Old Guard” in the case: the cleaning of the ranks in the RFB under Kirilenko is inevitable. But Anikeeva and Chernov are experienced fighters who simply will not give up so simply.

Against the backdrop of the prepared elections, the same letter about the withdrawal from international competitions appeared. It is embarrassed, however, that the RFB itself first spread it, and the Fiba press release appeared later. But even from a press release, it is unclear who was disqualified. Formally - RFB, but who exactly in the RFB? Former leadership recognized by the court illegitimate? Or a future leadership that is not yet? At the same time, the letter allegedly says that Russian arbitrators engaged in competitions under the auspices of FIBA, as well as some Russian teams will not disqualify. On August 8-9, the FIBA ​​Council will be gathered in Tokyo, at which the RFB case will be discussed-probably something will become clear only after this event.

In history with detachment, there is also a shadow side, few people known. It’s not without reason that Fiba, two years in series, but in general, gently threatened Russia, suddenly passed to ultimatums. Especially now, when the mess in Russian basketball seems to end.

The fact is that Fiba, tired of the fact that the main club competitions in Europe (Euroleague and European Cup) are held without its participation, decided to compete with ULE (Association of European Legs) and come up with her tournament. Serious clubs could not be attracted to it immediately: the same Euroiler participants disowned him. And without clubs from Spain, Turkey and Russia, Fiba will not succeed. There are stubborn rumors that Russia is trying to blackmail: you are three teams for the new tournament, we do not touch you until new elections. Otherwise, the threat may be materialized, and Russia will really lose their place in the same Eurobasket. It is unlikely that Fiba will go for it, but who wants to take risks? And who wants to be indirectly, but guilty of such a failure?

And all the same Anikeev and Chernov are probably ready to help everything “resolved”. If in their homeland their powers are about to expire, then in Fiba they are still full members. Anikeeva - in the Central Council, the main governing body. Chernov - in the competition for the competition. True, this is impossible to prove this, so formally there is nothing to blame for them.

Zurab reading