"Torpedo" club disqualified from RPL, but who is to blame?

Former Zenit striker Boris Chukhlov shared his opinion on the issue that has sparked wide discussion in Russian football recently — the disqualification of the “Torpedo” team from the RPL. According to him, such a punishment is excessive and may seriously harm football’s overall reputation, reported RB Sport.

Let us recall that last week, the Disciplinary Committee of the Russian Football Union decided to strip Torpedo of its right to participate in the RPL. The reason was the club management’s attempt to organize fixed matches. As a result, the club's former director Valery Skorodumov was banned from any football-related activity for 10 years. One of the club's owners, Leonid Sobolev, was banned for five years.

Chukhlov considers this decision overly harsh. He noted that the team worked hard throughout the season, overcoming many stages to reach the RPL. The path through the First League, the players’ efforts, the labor behind each victory — all of this was nullified in a moment.

"The players sweated all season. Getting from the First League to the RPL is easy to say but very hard to do. Disqualifying the team after such efforts seems far from fair to me," said Chukhlov.

He believes that there are problems in the football system, and if a deep investigation begins, not only Torpedo, but referees, agents, club directors, and intermediaries could fall under suspicion. However, he says the proper solution is to punish the guilty individuals personally, not the entire club.

"If players deliberately influence the outcome of games, they should be banned for life. But thinking that cleaning football means expelling an entire club — that's wrong," he added.

Interestingly, in this case, the main referee reportedly refused to participate in the “fixed match” and rejected the offer from the club's management. In this situation, Chukhlov believes, punishing the club was completely unjustified.

This incident once again raises the issue of the current state of Russian football. The transparency and fairness of disciplinary measures, and the effect of such punishments on players and fans — these remain unanswered questions.

In short, the situation around Torpedo points to broader problems in the football system. When decisions are made, not only the guilty individuals but also the entire ecosystem and the thousands involved should be considered. Otherwise, such harsh actions can undermine the trust of fans — the heart of football. Read 'Zamin' on Telegram!