An end to football violence?
Published 15 April, 2009, 12:41
Vandalism and player abuse in the stands were the hottest topics of the annual meeting of the Russian Football Union.
The who's who of Russian football gathered in Moscow for the annual meeting of the executive committee. Among the issues on the table were the Union's decreased budget in 2009 and violence in the stadium, which has already caused much commotion this year.
The panel of experts, including sports minister Vitaly Mutko and delegates from the premier league, club security and the fans union said: “Enough!”
Vandalism and player abuse in the stadiums will not go unpunished, but the specific measures are somewhat obscure at this stage.
While the clubs continue to pick up the tab for their rowdy fans, offender identification remains a big problem. Plus, the fans association claim, the police in charge of security at matches sometimes treat the football goers as criminals on sight.
To tackle this two-sided issue the parties decided to hold a seminar as soon as possible and engage law enforcement agencies in coming up with a remedy.
“Our current security instructions are in need of a revision. We, along with the fans association, have already devised a new guide taking into consideration everyone involved. The new document has been passed on to the interior ministry for approval. But at this point we are still working with the old instruction guide,” Vitaly Mutko said.
Money matters were of course at the top of everyone's list as the credit crisis marches on, sparing no one.
The Russian Football Union announced a near 200 million rouble deficit in the 2009 budget which is equivalent to about six million dollars.
However, the organization is still looking to land a title sponsor who could cover the difference.
All social and development programmers remain intact and were allocated a place in the newest budget.
“Our receivables total about 1.7 billion roubles this year and expenses are 1.9. The lion’s share of the money will go to our 17 national teams. Some is also allocated to social programs which promote football development at schools and of course construction of new accessible football grounds. There are also funds earmarked for bonuses to players and the coaching staff,” Vitaly Mutko said.
The Football union's title sponsor agreement remains a big question mark in the near future. Vitaly Mutko is not jumping the gun and remains realistic about the possibility of not reaching a deal with a prospective partner.
Nonetheless, Russia's sports boss remains optimistic about the national team's chances of qualifying for the World Cup 2010. If they do, there will be additional funding from FIFA, football’s world governing body.
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