Putin approved the idea of ​​“100% import substitution” in Russian football

Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting of the Council for Physical Culture and Sports supported the proposal to ban the performance of foreign football players for Russian clubs.

According to Interfax, the governor of the Krasnodar Territory, Veniamin Kondratyev, proposed, with the support of the president, to carry out "import substitution - one hundred percent - in Russian football," despite criticism of the existing limit on foreign players.

“That's right, I agree,” Putin said in response.

Kondratyev argued his proposal by the fact that “novice Russian football players should have a prospect that is not available today, since it is more profitable for clubs to acquire legionnaires.”

“A legionnaire is the number one player in the club, and all of ours, even promising and good players, are still number two players. <...> The number one player in the club cannot play in the Russian national football team and the national team is left without number one players, and those who want to play in the Russian team do not know and do not know how to do it, ”quotes the governor“ Interfax.

• According to the current rules, Russian football clubs have the right to play no more than six foreign players on the field at the same time. After the adoption of these rules in 2015, Vladimir Putin ordered the limit to be tightened.
• The leaders of many Russian clubs, including the president of CSKA Evgeny Giner, are against the limit on legionnaires. Giner stated, in particular, that such rules reduce competition among Russians and lead to the degradation of players.
• The former coach of the Russian national football team, Leonid Slutsky, called the limit on foreign players one of the reasons for the low dedication of the Russians at Euro 2016 and, as a result, the defeat of the team under his leadership in the tournament.