Russian hockey players of the U18 youth team, Egor Surin, Vadim Dudorov and Pyotr Andreyanov, said that after losing their match with the Belarusian U20 youth team, they refused the awards due to their emotional state, which was affected by the referee’s “unclear” decisions. His general statements were conveyed to socialbites.ca by the Russian Hockey Federation. Athletes regret that their actions were considered disrespectful.
“We, the players of the Russian U18 youth team, appreciate the opportunity to play at the international level against the national teams of the Republic of Belarus and the Republic of Kazakhstan and the conditions created by the Belarusian Hockey Federation for our team. always in Minsk. We regret that our behavior regarding the award could be considered disrespectful at the award ceremony held after the match against the Belarusian national team in the Future Cup tournament. Our action was determined by the emotional state after the match, influenced by a number of referee decisions (which we considered controversial), including extra time, which was the most tense moment of the match. We have great respect for the opponent and the host organization, so we took part in the ceremony to the fullest and shook hands with the hockey players of the Belarusian national team. We are sure that our teams will have many bright and unforgettable matches ahead of them, which will help develop our sport in both countries,” the hockey players said in a statement.
In the final of the tournament held on February 10, the Russian U18 team faced the Belarusian youth team in Minsk and lost with a score of 5:6. Russian players were dissatisfied with the refereeing – in the extra time of the match after the winning goal of the Belarusian team, Russian national team goalkeeper Pyotr Andreyanov asked the referee for a video review of the controversial section, but was refused.
At the award ceremony, the captain of the Russian team, Yegor Surin, left the second prize on the ice, while goalkeeper Pyotr Andreyanov and forward Vadim Dudorov also received their awards.
Belarusian senator and former president of the Belarusian Hockey Federation Dmitry Baskov, in a conversation with the Championship broadcast, called the behavior of hockey players unacceptable and called on the coaches of the Russian national team to “instill the correct life values” in the players. and guidelines” have been prepared taking into account the current political situation in sports and hockey.
Previously at FHR in the name The move made by the young people after the match in Minsk was a misunderstanding.