A prominent sports commentator and TV host discussed remarks made by the owner of Moscow Spartak, Leonid Fedun, regarding officiating in the Russian Premier League (RPL).
“The claim isn’t accurate. Perhaps it would have helped to appoint capable managers to observe the players more closely. For instance, the former coach Selikhov was kept on the bench for several matches while Maksimenko actively included him on the field. There is no need to pin blame on the mirror. The situation isn’t as straightforward as it seems.
It is evident that Zenit possesses more competitive resources than many rivals. Yet Lukoil remains a powerful enterprise as well. Regrettably, Fedun’s statements appear to misrepresent the situation. If one held shares in Lukoil, they might consider selling under calmer times.
In the commentator’s view, Fedun’s comment carried an unusual tone. The suggestion that earlier steps should have included selling the team from the outset or only selling now, to avoid future frustration, hints at potential new buyers being available, according to the TV figure behind the show.
In the previous season, Spartak finished in tenth place in the RPL. Petersburg’s Zenit clinched the national title, marking the blue-white-blue’s fourth consecutive league gold. Sochi and Dynamo Moscow also finished in the top three, illustrating a competitive spread across the league.
Spartak also secured the Russian Cup with a 2-1 win over Dynamo in the cup final. That triumph added a fourth Russian Cup trophy to Spartak’s tally (achievements in 1994, 1998, 2003, and 2022) and marked the first Cup victory in 19 years.
Spartak topped the Europa League group stage, but they were unable to advance to the knockout rounds because of sanctions imposed by FIFA and UEFA. This combination of league performance and sanctions created a complex season for the club and its supporters.
Earlier remarks from Fedun suggested the club endured a loss of 13 points in the most recent RPL campaign due to questionable refereeing decisions, an assertion that fed into broader debates about officiating standards and consistency across matches.