Shimon Shemberg, chairman of the European hockey club alliance and former press spokesperson of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), spoke on his Twitter account about the situation around CSKA Moscow goalkeeper Ivan Fedotov.
“KHL’s argument is that they probably have nothing to lose. The national team has been suspended from all tournaments, clubs do not participate in European team events. It couldn’t have been worse there,” Shemberg wrote.
On August 14, the IIHF penalized CSKA with a one-season international transfer ban. In addition, the team’s goalkeeper Ivan Fedotov will not be able to play in the Continental Hockey League until 31 December 2023. On August 27, the Russian Hockey Federation (RHF) allowed Fedotov to play from January 1, 2024. So CSKA will start the new season without him.
From July 2022 to July 2023 Fedotov served in the army. He was currently contracted with the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Despite the IIHF ban, Fedotov played against Ak Bars in the KHL match. KHL President Alexei Morozov said that the club did not agree with the decision of the organization, which violated the constitutional rights of the Russian citizen.
Previously in the National Hockey League saidWhether the contracts of KHL players will continue to be respected after the situation with Fedotov.