The head of the Russian Premier League (RPL), Alexander Alaev, spoke about the prospect of Crimean clubs joining the lineup of teams in the Russian championship. He asserted that the integration of Crimean squads into the Russian football system will occur at some point, sooner or later. He reflected on past events, noting what happened and the reaction when Crimean clubs were admitted to the PFL. The current climate, he observed, has shifted. The process of bringing Crimean football into the Russian framework appears to be unavoidable, according to him in an interview with Sports24.
Alaev, who stepped into the role of eighth president of the RPL after Ashot Khachaturyants resigned at the end of the previous season, emphasized the broader evolution of the league and its governance. The narrative around Crimean participation is tied to wider structural changes and ongoing discussions about the future of Russian football in domestic and international contexts.
After five rounds of the season, Spartak Moscow sits at the top of the championship standings. The squad under Guillermo Abascal has collected 13 points from 15 possible, securing victories over Krasnodar, Orenburg, Ural, and Sochi in sequence. The chase pack is tightly wound behind them as the season unfolds, with results shaping early positioning and momentum.
In second place is St. Petersburg, where Zenit holds steady with a like record of 13 points, demonstrating consistency alongside the leaders. Rostov, led by Valery Karpin, is close in third place, separated by a margin determined by additional indicators. Those indicators shape the shifting order and the subtle movements within the top three as teams press for stability and continued success.
Grigory Ivanov, who previously headed the Yekaterinburg club Ural, voiced the view that there is a clear necessity to widen the scope of the RPL. His remarks touch on broadening participation, enhancing competition, and ensuring the league adapts to broader football dynamics across the country.