In the fall of 2005, the Russian football leadership decided to introduce a limit on foreign football players in the RFPL. In 2006, at least three Russians entered the field as part of one team. In 2007, their number increased to four, and in 2008-2010 - to five. The main initiator of this idea was the then new president of the RFU Vitaly Mutko. The circumstances of autumn 2005, namely the absence of our team at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, were favorable for such a transformation. The limit meant privileges for potential players of the Russian national teams. Naturally, this caused approval among fans, journalists, specialists, since the terrible annoyance of the national team's failure to qualify for the world championship demanded immediate changes in the existing order in the Russian football industry. By the way, the limit on legionnaires in Russia is one of the toughest in Europe.
Summing up the preliminary results of the limit in the Premier League, we get a rather sad picture. Comparing the compositions of the Russian national team in 2005-2006. (the composition of the Russian national team for the qualifying matches for the 2006 World Cup with Luxembourg and Slovakia - Coach: Semin Yu.P., September 2005; the composition of the Russian national team for a friendly match with Latvia - Coach: G. Hidding, August 2006) and today () you can find they have a lot in common.
Also, in my opinion, one cannot say that the players of the current national team Shirokov, Zyryanov, Dzagoev, Mamaev, Torbinsky, thanks to the limit on legionnaires, received playing practice and achieved an invitation to the main team of the country.
Based on the foregoing, we come to the conclusion about the weak influence of this factor on the formation of the composition of the Russian national team.
If we touch on the youth team of Russia, since it was the youth who were supposed to take the places “freed” by the limit from the legionnaires, then here, in the light of the failures of our youth team in the international arena, the limit clearly does not win. In this case, I focused on the result, since there has always been a turnover in the Russian youth team. Today we can safely say that we did not receive any special advantages from the introduction of restrictions on foreign football players, and somewhere we even lost.
The consequences associated with the limit are well known to everyone: the lack of proper competition in the clubs, the rise in salaries and transfer costs of Russian footballers, and the bloated budgets of the clubs. In my opinion, they are greatly exaggerated; more precisely, the role of the limit in these phenomena is greatly exaggerated. In general, today in Russia it has become very fashionable in any leadership initiatives to find disadvantages, the value of which is negligible in comparison with the advantages, to inflate them to the size of an elephant and reproach on this basis the country, the authorities, the people ...
Let's go in order.
Competition. The limit on legionnaires weakens the competition - it is a fact, but does not kill it at all. Competition is an important component of a football player's progress at a young age, but not the most important one. Game practice plays a much larger role in this process.
The rise in the salaries of football players. It should be noted that the upward trend in the earnings of Russian footballers was observed even before the introduction of the limit. Of course, the limit contributed significantly to this, but the limit is not the main factor in increasing the earnings of our players. The main factor is the “poor harvest” of the current generation of Russian footballers, there is simply not enough qualified players with a Russian passport for everyone, and in this regard, their prices are growing - this is an economic law.
Inflated budgets of RFPL clubs. There is one very well-known logical trick at work here: "then it means because of this." In my opinion, there is no direct connection between the limit on legionnaires and the desire of Russian industrial giants to invest big money in football.
Digging into these "side effects" of the limit, you can miss the most important thing. The limit on foreign players, which is set in the RFPL, is a serious incentive for the management of our clubs to invest in the development of youth football. It is not difficult to analyze that if the club management does not develop its children's and youth school, then sooner or later it will face the problem of a shortage of players with a Russian passport, and, accordingly, will have to pay a decent amount for a Russian footballer, and the club investing in a children's sport can make good money on it. This is a business. Therefore, not only the investments themselves are important, but also their rational use. The funds that are now directed to the development of the infrastructure of football schools at the clubs cannot be compared with the funds that were invested before the introduction of the limit.
There has also been a lot of controversy over the limit formula. Now it looks like this: 6 (foreigners) + 5 (Russians). In addition to its future, the club management needs to take care of the current state of affairs in its football economy, showing results already now: to achieve acceptable results in Russia, in Europe, in the economic component of the club, etc. Russian football leaders, on the other hand, should be concerned about the future of football in the country rather than the management of the clubs. Therefore, here it is necessary to find a balance of interests of the clubs and the RFU, and, in my opinion, this balance finds its expression in the formula 7 legionnaires + 4 Russians on the field.
Yes, the limit on foreign players created a small "tactical hole", but strategically we can win. It is inappropriate now to sum up the final results of the action of the limit in our football, and its abolition also looks extremely inappropriate.
The limit on foreign players in the RFPL 2017-2018 is one of the most discussed topics among sports analysts, officials and ordinary fans. Usually, the question of expanding or reducing the number of foreign football players in Premier League clubs becomes relevant after the unsuccessful performance of the national team. It happened this time after the failure of Russia at the Confederations Cup, where Stanislav Cherchesov's wards could not leave the group.
For the first time, a limit on legionnaires was introduced in the country's top football division back in 2005. At that time, a situation arose when the teams preferred to recruit more qualified, skilled, talented foreigners than to invest a lot of money and spend several seasons on raising the level of the Russian player. The management of the clubs demanded immediate results from the coaches and successful performances in European competitions, and these goals could be achieved only after attracting foreign players.
The RFU has made its own adjustments to the ambitions of many participants in the Premier League. According to the new rules, more than 5 players with a foreign passport were not supposed to be on the field at the same time during the match. This reform pursued the following goals:
- raising the level of domestic ball masters;
- getting rid of cheap and low-quality legionnaires;
- implementation by the management of PFC of point acquisitions of foreigners;
- an increase in contributions to football academies and the development of their own players.
The initiative was revolutionary, but its entire effect was offset by one amendment: players who played 10 or more matches for the national team of their country were not equated with legionnaires. It was canceled already in 2006, having softened the limit to 7 players (7 + 4). In July 2015, the RFU tightened the formula, which remained unchanged until the current season: no more than 6 foreigners simultaneously on the field and 5 people with a Russian passport.
Something went wrong?
For many fans, it remains a mystery why the Russian national football team has not achieved significant victories over 9 years, slipping into the seventh dozen of the FIFA rating. In fact, everything is simple - the limit on legionnaires has corrupted domestic footballers, who are paid huge sums of money by clubs. If earlier salaries in the same Championship in Italy or England were much higher than in the Premier League, now the opposite is true. Here is a list of the most paid domestic footballers:
- Vladimir Dyadyun (Rubin) - 1.5 million euros per year;
- Pavel Pogrebnyak (Dynamo) - 1.8 million euros per year;
- Artur Yusupov () - 2 million euros per year;
- Dmitry Tarasov (Lokomotiv) - 2.4 million euros per year;
- Alexander Kokorin (Zenit) - 3.3 million euros per year.
It is unlikely that at least one club from the Top 4 European championships will offer domestic “stars” a salary that even remotely resembles the figures presented. It turns out that the meaning of progress is completely lost: why give all your best on the field, if in the end the money will still go to your bank account.
Another disastrous moment for Russian football there was a huge difference in budget between the participants. Wealthy clubs simply started buying up promising players with Russian passports, thereby undermining the degree of competition. This situation also developed in the 2017-2018 season, when Zenit acquires the best players from competitors (in particular, from Rostov), completing its squad promising footballers... It is far from a fact that they will be able to break into the base, and sitting on the bench does not add skill to a football player.
Are there any positive points in the limit?
Certainly limiting the number of foreigners had a positive impact on the domestic sport. Many clubs began to allocate more funds to the development of their own sports schools. For example, in Krasnodar, a whole system of training young people was created, starting from kindergarten age and ending with bringing them up to the main team. A number of footballers raised by the “army” academy (we are talking about Alexander Golovin, Konstantin Bazelyuk, Fyodor Chalov) are already solid base players.
A number of talented football players agreed to accept Russian citizenship, which automatically lifted the restriction from them. Mario Fernandez, Guilherme, Ari, Micon - all of them are capable of strengthening the Russian national team at the upcoming 2018 World Cup. The practice of naturalization is used by many national teams, so the opinion of some fans about the ban on the participation of such players in the national team is not only inappropriate, but also absurd.
What can be the limit?
Leading clubs stated that the limit of legionnaires "6 + 5", which is in effect in the country, was futile, but the sports officials did not hear them. Today, when the absurdity and ineffectiveness of the reform has become obvious to everyone, there are rumors about the change in restrictions. In particular, the opinion that the limit should be expanded to "10 + 15" is being heard louder and louder. In other words, teams will be able to apply for the season with a list of 10 foreigners and 15 players with a Russian passport.
In general, the RFU leadership agrees with this innovation and, most likely, specific amendments will be made to the Premier League after the 2018 FIFA World Cup. It is not yet clear how many foreigners will be eligible to enter the field at the same time, but it is obvious that this will be more than 6 foreigners.
There is also an opposite opinion regarding the limit. Some officials believe that it needs to be toughened up, down to 4-5 players. As a concomitant measure to improve the skill of domestic football players, State Duma deputies proposed to limit the players' salaries. For example, the leader of the LDPR faction, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, proposed to cut the money income of football players to 20-25 million rubles a year. In this case, Kokorin and the company will definitely have an incentive to move abroad.
Thus, the limit of the RFPL 2017-2018, introduced two years ago, has not changed. In the new season, fans will see no more than 6 legionnaires on the field, although they are planning to change this formula soon.
For more information on the limit on foreign players in the Premier League, see the following video:
On Tuesday, the Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation Vitaly Mutko announced that he had signed a law according to which the limit for legionnaires in the Russian championship would be according to the "6 + 5" scheme.
"We have already made changes to the regulations regarding the limit, and in the near future the new version will be published," Cheban said.
When asked how the situation with the limit prevented the start of the season, the agency's interlocutor replied: “You know that there was an option in which the“ 10 + 15 ”scheme could remain as another limitation. Therefore, of course, there was little certainty. But now we ready to comply with the requirements of the law. "
About the limit on legionnaires in Russian football
In December, the RFU Executive Committee adopted a limit according to the scheme "10 foreigners plus 15 Russians" in the application for the season, in which the number of foreigners who have the right to be on the field at the same time was not limited. In June, he was approved for the Premier League championship that starts on July 17.
On July 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the "law on legionnaires" on restrictions on the attraction of foreign specialists and athletes, according to which the Ministry of Sports will regulate the number of foreigners in winter and summer sports. Soon, Vitaly Mutko met with the head of the Premier League, Sergei Pryadkin, at which an agreement was reached to tighten the limit to the "6 + 5" scheme. On Tuesday, the RFU executive committee, at which the league was represented by Pryadkin, changed the limit from "10 + 15" to "6 + 5".
In the Russian Premier League championship of the 2014/15 season, the "7 + 4" limit was in effect, according to which no more than seven foreign players could be on the field at the same time.
In the Premier League, it is a frequently discussed topic at meetings of sports analysts, officials and just football fans. As a rule, this topic is raised after the unsuccessful performance of the country's football team at international tournaments. This time was no exception. As soon as our team did not leave the group at the Confederations Cup, which was held in Russia, everyone again began to discuss the limit on foreign players in the RFPL.
Why buy foreigners
The limit on foreign players in the RFPL appeared back in 2005. From that moment football clubs Premier leagues began to rely on foreign players, rather than educate their own. It has become easier for them to spend a decent amount of money on an experienced and technical player who will start producing results in the first year. The young player needs to be gradually included in the squad. At first, he may make mistakes that can affect the result. But over time, he should get used to the Premier League and join the ranks of the national team. However, the management of Russian clubs is not interested in this. The management demands immediate results from the coaches, especially when it comes to the teams that play in European competition. And at a high level to achieve good results possible only with experienced players.
The appearance of the first limit on foreigners
According to the first limit on foreign players in the Premier League, there must be no more than five foreigners on the field during the game. This project, as conceived by the leadership of the league, was supposed to accomplish the following tasks:
Improving the conditions in the academies of the clubs and the development of their pupils.
Improving the skill of the national team players.
Ridding the Premier League of low-level legionnaires.
The idea of limiting the number of foreigners in the Russian championship was undoubtedly successful. But then there was one amendment that diminished the benefits of the restriction. According to her, if a football player played for his national team more than 10 times, then he was not equated with legionnaires. This amendment was canceled the next year. In 2006, the number of foreign players on the field was increased to 7. What is the current limit for foreign players in the Premier League? This is something that budding football fans are regularly interested in. The current limit assumes that no more than 6 foreigners can be on the field at the same time.
Problems that have arisen
When the limit on foreign players in the RFPL was introduced, all sports specialists and fans thought that such a decision would have a positive effect on the performance of our team at international tournaments. However, the Russian national team has been slipping in the FIFA rating for a long time. After the introduction of the restriction on foreign players, our league faced the following problems. Popular domestic players received huge salaries. Earlier, payouts in foreign leagues were significantly higher than those of players playing in Russia. Now the leaders of the Russian top clubs receive the same amount as the popular players of the world's leading leagues. For example, Dmitry Kokorin's salary is 3.3 million euros per year. And Dmitry Tarasov's income is 2.4 million euros per year. Such money will hardly be paid to our players abroad. The players lost their motivation to get better. They will receive the money in their bank account anyway.
Difference in budget between clubs
The teams playing in the Premier League have completely different budgets. Wealthy clubs can afford to buy a young and bright domestic player with a Russian passport and put him on the bench. One of the richest clubs in the Russian Premier League, St. Petersburg “Zenith” in the last season has acquired a large number of bright young players from competitors. It is extremely difficult for them to break into the base. Therefore, they spend most of the season on the bench. Young players do not get game practice, therefore they do not develop.
What are the positive points?
Despite all the disadvantages that appeared after the introduction of the limit on foreigners, the idea had a positive impact on the development of children in clubs. Some teams have taken their pupils seriously. This is especially significant for such Russian clubs as Krasnodar and CSKA. Army School in Lately strengthens the national team of the country with its pupils. Alexander Golovin, Konstantin Bazelyuk and Fyodor Chalov are already real stars of Russian football and, without a doubt, will soon become the real leaders of the national team. It is worth noting that some talented players took Russian citizenship, which immediately removed their legionnaire status. Such footballers as Micon, Guilherme now have Russian citizenship and can strengthen our team at the home World Cup.
What should be the limit?
For a long time, many clubs and sports specialists have declared the uselessness of the existing limit. Its inefficiency is regularly discussed at a league management meeting. The opinion is increasingly heard that in order to strengthen our championship and the national team, the limit should be increased to “10 + 15”. That is, clubs will be able to enter up to 10 foreigners for the season. The league's leadership is not against such changes and it is possible that the innovations will officially take effect after the World Cup. It has not yet been specified how many foreigners can be on the field during the game, but it is already becoming clear that this number is more than 6 people. What the limit for foreign players in the Premier League should be is still unambiguously unclear. Some officials, on the contrary, demand to reduce the number of legionnaires in Russian Premier League... In addition, the leader of the LDPR faction, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, demands that the salaries of domestic players be reduced.
The history of the limit on foreign players in the Premier League shows that so far the league leadership has not found the best option. It is not yet clear whether you need to increase it or, conversely, decrease it. To understand which option is the most optimal, you can only try it in practice.
05.07.2017
The "10 + 15" limit in the application provides that clubs will not be able to enter more than 10 foreign players for the season, but their number on the field will not be limited
The limit on foreign players in the Russian Football Premier League (RFPL) will be changed from the 2018/19 season. Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, President of the Russian Football Union (RFU) Vitaly Mutko announced this at a plenary meeting of the State Duma within the framework of the "government hour".
"Next season we will change the limiting system. There will be a limit in the application, not on the field," he said.
The transition to the "10 + 15" limit from the 2018/19 season is envisaged in the "Strategy for the development of football in Russian Federation for the period up to 2030 ".
Pryadkin: RFPL unanimously supports the introduction of a limit on legionnaires in the application
The head of the Russian Football Premier League stressed that the issue of the limit is not a priority at the moment
The clubs of the Russian Football Premier League (RFPL) unanimously supported the replacement of the limit for legionnaires on the field with the limit in the application. This was announced to TASS by the president of the league, Sergei Pryadkin.
Earlier on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, President of the Russian Football Union (RFU) Vitaly Mutko announced that the limit on legionnaires would be changed from the 2018/19 season.
"Quite right, Vitaly Leontyevich [Mutko] is acting in accordance with the strategy [" Strategy for the development of football in the Russian Federation for the period up to 2030 "]. Now the RFU Executive Committee and all interested parties will have to finally determine the number of legionnaires in the application. The recommendation of the working group was" 10+ 15 ", but options are also possible, for example," 9 + 16 "- said Pryadkin.
"We [RFPL] supported and support the decision on the limit in the application. The clubs, at one time, voted for the change unanimously," - said the interlocutor of TASS.
The head of the RFPL stressed that the issue of the limit is not a priority at the moment. "The change will only take place next season, the RFU executive committee has yet to discuss the issue during the year. The general meeting of the Premier League is also not going to talk about this at the next meeting. We have a very important, busy season on our nose, and now all thoughts are about it," - he said.
The limit according to the "6 + 5" scheme in effect in the RFPL now assumes that no more than six foreign players can be on the field during a match in a team at the same time. The "10 + 15" limit in the application provides that clubs will not be able to enter more than 10 foreign players for the season, but their number on the field will not be limited.
The transition to the limit in the application from the 2018/19 season is envisaged in the "Strategy for the development of football in the Russian Federation for the period up to 2030".
