The number of regular football fans in Russia has reportedly decreased fivefold over the past two decades, according to a new survey published by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) on Monday.
Over 1,600 adults were surveyed over the phone earlier this month, revealing that the Russian public’s interest in the world’s most popular sport is “in crisis.” The number of people who consider themselves regular fans has reportedly dropped from 19% to just 4% between 2005 and 2024. Meanwhile, the number of Russians who say they are completely indifferent to football is said to have grown from 43% to a staggering 77% over the same period.
Russians also appear to have lost interest in national football stars as the sport has become “faceless and nameless” in the country, according to the survey. In 2009, nearly half of the population, or 47%, could name an active Russian football player. This year, only 17% managed to come up with a name. Of those named, the most common were Artem Dzyuba, Igor Akinfeev, Andrey Arshavin, Aleksandr Golovin and Lev Yashin. Arshavin retired from the sport more than 6 years ago while Yashin, a legend of Soviet sports, died in 1990.
The survey’s findings have drawn mixed reactions, with some experts claiming that it confirms what has been apparent for years while others have expressed doubt over the accuracy of the poll.
Dmitry Svishchev, a member of the Russian State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports told News.ru that the VCIOM researchers may have been asking “the wrong questions,” insisting that the number of people with a positive attitude toward sport in Russia has only grown in recent years.
“We have something sport-related everywhere, everyone runs, swims, jumps, plays. Our colleagues are definitely wrong,” the MP said.
At the same time, the honorary president of the Russian Football Union, Vyacheslav Koloskov, told the outlet that while percentages published by VCIOM may not be completely accurate, declining interest in the sport has been evident for quite some time.
He noted that it was enough to compare attendance at Russian Premier League matches, which only draw roughly 1,500 fans on average, while 15-30,000 spectators go to games that feature good teams.
Koloskov also suggested that one of the reasons for the supposed decline in interest in football could be the lack of international matches. Russian teams have been suspended from FIFA or UEFA matches since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict.