After the most recent sequence of matches for the Russian national team, a former head coach, Boris Ignatiev, proposed forming a pool of Russian football experts. The idea is for head coach Valery Karpin to report on the progress, share insights from the technical team, and outline the plan for the current phase of national team development. His suggestion also touches on how the team should approach betting within the framework of legality and transparency.
Ignatiev emphasized the need for a formal gathering that has not occurred in more than a decade. He argued that a structured review is essential to understand how the team is shaping up, what tactical directions the staff recommends, and what steps are required to implement improvements across the program. The goal, in his view, is to ensure clear communication about the football project and its real-time trajectory.
Earlier, in September, the Russian squad led by Karpin convened for a training camp. During this period, the team played three test matches: a pair of games against the Egyptian Olympic team, ending with scores of 1-1 and 1-2, and a contest with Qatar that concluded with a 1-1 draw and the numbers 1-1, 1-1 in the report. The results served as a gauge for evaluating players, tactics, and cohesion in a controlled environment, ahead of more demanding fixtures.
In spring 2022, major international bodies imposed a suspension affecting the participation of the Russian national team and all Russian clubs in events overseen by the International Football Federation and the Union of European Football Associations. As a consequence, venues such as St. Petersburg and Kazan faced the relocation or exclusion of certain landmark matches, including a UEFA Champions League final and a European Super Cup, underscoring the broader impact on the country’s football calendar and international engagement.
There has also been a political dimension connected to sports funding. Earlier discussions in the State Duma explored increasing the national defense expenditure through shifts in sports financing, a move that would influence the economic environment surrounding football and athlete development. This context highlights the ongoing tension between fiscal policy and the resources available for the sport at the highest levels.