The sports director of Kazan, Oleg Yarovinsky, indicated that the international football body’s stance on legionnaires in the Russian Premier League is awaited with interest. The gist of his view is that the current situation has been anticipated, and there is a willingness to win in several scenarios. He argued that the uproar surrounding the issue, which he described as hysteria and misperception, does not align with the way football governance should operate. The main point, in his assessment, is that players are not safeguarded by any special protections. What this means in practical terms is a simple loan arrangement: a player is loaned for a year and then returns to the parent club at the end of the period, unless other terms are negotiated.
In the meantime, FIFA has extended the window during which clubs can suspend the contracts of legionnaires playing in the Russian Premier League until June 30, 2023. Earlier, the federation had extended this permission from March 7 to the same date, allowing players to be registered and active with foreign clubs under a suspended contract regime. As a result, a number of legionnaires took advantage of the opportunity to join teams abroad, while a few remained bound to the suspended terms until transition periods closed.
Throughout the current transfer window, Russian clubs expanded their foreign player rosters, leveraging the flexibility granted by FIFA to adjust squad composition. The overall effect is a delicate balance between maintaining league competitiveness and respecting the evolving rules governing cross-border loans and contract suspensions.
Former media commentator Dmitry Guberniev had argued that FIFA’s approach to legionnaires offers a coherent framework for evaluating international participation in the league, though observers in North America and other regions have been weighing the implications for domestic leagues, player careers, and long-term league integrity. Analysts note that the ongoing policy discussions could influence how clubs in Russia and elsewhere plan their recruitment strategies in the near term.