FK Moskva will not be participating in the top flight of Russian football in 2010.
Norilsk Nickel, the corporation that is the primary sponsor of the club, has decided to cease funding the Citizens’ operations—forcing the club to withdraw from the Russian Premier-Liga.
Leonid Isakovich, director-general of the Sporting Projects Management Company, which oversees Norilsk Nickel’s funding projects, announced at a press conference today that “The management of Norilsk Nickel and Sporting Projects has made a decision to reorganize FK Moskva. The club will not participate in the Russian Premier-Liga.”
“We cannot persuade the residents of Norilsk why the company’s money should be spent in Moskva. With no support from Moskva or other structures we consider this project a dead end.”
“We were seeking another sponsor for the club but failed to find anybody.”
Isakovich believed that the club could retain their professional status and participate in the First or Second Division—but even that prospect is uncertain as it depends on the corporation’s ability to find a buyer or the club. The final decision over the club’s immediate future will be made by the end of March.
As a result of Norilsk Nickel’s decision all Moskva players will soon be asked to find new employment.
Only yesterday did the Citizens receive their license for the upcoming season from the RFU–a result of their lack of debt, rather than any proposed budget. The license formality, however, did not subdue the fears of the club’s players—who sent an open letter to the management of Norilsk Nickel in order to better understand the financial difficulties of the club.
Earlier today, in an interview with Chempionat, Moskva’s president Igor Dmitriev had commented on the players’ open letter and expressed his own concern as to the future of the club and the possibility of a merger.
“I did not know about the letter,” said Dmitriev. “For me it is news. But I understand the players’ concern. Today Norilsk Nickel representatives will hold a press conference, which will provide answers to all questions. Then it would be clear whether we have funding. Perhaps the club will seek a new investor. As for the possibility of merging with Torpedo [Moskva], I’m not excluding that scenario.”
With the dire news coming shortly after from above, the rumored merger with Torpedo now appears to be the best option for the club. However, Dmitriev will be meeting with Norilsk Nickel officials on Monday to discuss the club’s options.
FK Moskva become the first club to ever withdraw from the top division of Russian football.
It is likely that FK Alania Vladikavkaz, third-place finisher in the First Division, will be promoted to the top-flight, but the RPL has yet to comment.
It’s always unfortunate to see a team go down because of financial reasons, especially a team that was 4 points away from a Europa league spot. Does this mean every team in the league moves up a spot? (i.e. If Vladikavkaz does get promoted, will someone from the Second Division move up to fill the spot in the First Division?)
Is there any possibility that FC Moscow “merges” (seems more like a take-over) with Torpedo Moscow?
Hey Brad. It seems too early to tell what is going to happen re: promotions. FK Moskva has yet to officially submit the paperwork necessary to withdraw from the league. Until that happens the RFU won’t be making decisions over which teams go where. The major issue as it stands now is whether Norilsk Nickel will attempt a “merger” that would allow another club that has the necessary finances to virtually take over FK Moskva’s spot in the Premier-Liga or if the corporation will choose to sell off players and “downsize” to a lower division. That second option would most likely allow Vladikavkaz to jump up.
But the former of the two options is where Torpedo Moskva comes into the discussion. So, to partially answer Silvio, there seems to be a real possibility of a takeover/merger with Torpedo. At least there is a lot of talk surrounding that possibility given the very complicated history between FK Moskva and “Torpedo” (which is made more confusing given that there have been several clubs, of which the ZiL have been part owners). I’m going to try to write a piece over the weekend to sort out the complexities of the story (in part to make it clearer in my own head) and weigh the different options that both FK Moskva’s management and their current players have for the upcoming season.
Good riddance to them. They’ve always struck me as being an artificial team. Sad news for the three men and a dog who go to watch them, but Russian football can do without such “projects”. Can we assume Amkar will get a bye into the cup semis, and that Spartak will not be reinstated?
Speaking of that trio and their canine, attendances in Russia are pretty low given the sizes of the cities that some of the teams represent, and those in Moscow are, relatively speaking, among the worst. Why do people think this is?
Artificial team with the stadium in the Moscow city centre (stadium is horrible, though). It has always amused me how they gave away free tickets and still couldn’t manage to get decent attendance.
Which team deserves FK Moscow’s spot in the RPL more – Kuban Krasnodar (the second-bottom team that got relegated), or Alania (the team that just missed promotion)?
Interesting question. Sadly, the word ‘deserve’ has no place in football. Trying to posit myself in an alternate reality in order to answer it however, I must admit to arriving at a stalemate. Kuban Krasnodar’s 2009 campaign didn’t leave a sour taste, despite the relegation. At the same time, in four campaigns at RPL level they’ve never finished in the upper third-quarters of the standings.
Alania finished 10th in 2008, so throwing context out of the window for a moment, finishing 3rd in 2009 can be heralded as a club moving forward. Obviously they have a far richer and more substantial history in the top flight too; thus making them a little more likely to contribute substantially to the division in future.
Nevertheless, Krasnodar can match the *name* with the Dan Petrescu factor. And money. Marketing and reputation wise therefore, both have a fair claim to warranting a space in the Premier League.
Ultimately though, I’ll base my decision (screw that stalemate) in terms of personnel. Now nationality may be a thorny subject when it comes to Alania given that the majority of the region wouldn’t class themselves as Russian. Nevertheless, Moldovan spearhead aside, more of their playing staff are Russian. So Alania, step on up!
I’m not too keen on the chances of either club, to be honest. They both have advantages and disadvantages–but if either were to be playing in the top flight next season they would only be hoping to avoid relegation (making them, to be fair, no different from Sibir or Anzhi). However, both clubs are taking measured strides to build a competitive squad and they will surely be dueling it out (though don’t count out Volga) for the First Division title—should they both still be there come March of course.
Kuban Krasnodar do have the more talented side and the tactical organization of Petrescu, so I’d personally rate them a bit higher. And Petrescu’s most recent Romanian acquisition, Gigel Bucur, is also a huge signing for them. A strong replacement for the loss of Dramane Traoré (who, by the way, is excelling in Lokomotiv’s camp–he can’t stop scoring).
But, as Martyn suggests, there is no real worth in arguing over who is more deserved. Restricting the question to who would be more successful next year in the top flight, I would think it would be the Toads.
If Alania are given the call-up, as the rules stipulate, it is still not clear if they would have substantial enough financial investment to bring in a couple of transfers to improve the squad. Though they were able to score goals in the First Division, it does not look like their younger attack-minded players (Bibilov, Gagloyev, Tsarikayev) could really make much difference in the top flight this year. The club’s relative success in 2009 stemmed primarily from their defense, but they’ve lost key players. The club is currently looking at Milovan Milović (currently with Serbian side Javor Ivanjica) to improve the defense, but not having Valentic (left for Sibir) and Proshyn (to Rostov) is a major setback. Their absence could be mitigated in the First Division but the club’s weaker back line would be difficult to overcome in the top flight.
I wouldn’t really get bogged down in the nationality issue—not just because of the club’s North Ossetian pride but because the club’s strongest players, in my opinion, are not Russian. With the exception of recently acquired Aslan Mashukov (from Spartak Nalchik), the aforementioned Dadu (Moldova) along with Paulo Adriano (Portugal) and Ibrahim Gnanou (Burkina Faso) are arguably the most adept members on the squad. Add the acquisition of Bosnia and Herzegovina midfielder Zajko Zeba, who will be a boost to the midfield, and it seems as though Alania could potentially be as reliant on foreign players as Kuban Krasnodar.
This is not to suggest that their Russian citizens are not decent. The Bazayev brothers have moments of excellence. But as they get older they have been able to benefit from the slower pace of the First Division. I’d love to be proven wrong, but I’m not entirely convinced they could really perform at the same level in the Premier-Liga. Alania has also lost the loan services of Dmitry Ryzhov (now with Ural) and Aleksandr Yarkin (to Krasnodar), leading them to transfer Georgiy Gabulov and Karen Oganyan. While their return has been welcomed, to all intents and purposes the attack still remains on the shoulders of Dadu.
But, first things first, we’ll need to see how the fiscal crises of Krylia and FK Moskva play out.
Hang on… Can someone clear this up: there’s no chance Kuban will stay up, is there? Or is there?
Hey Al, you are right. There is no chance–at least I have heard no discussion of that possibility. Since no club has ever left the Premier-Liga under the same circumstances as FK Moskva look to be about to it is new territory, but the rules stipulate that it should be Alania. I had just used the suggestion as an opportunity to compare Kuban and Alania and hypothetically assess which club would have more success next year in the RPL.