×
Enjoying ad-free content?
Since July 1, 2024, we have disabled all ads to improve your reading experience.
This commitment costs us $10,000 a month. Your support can help us fill the gap.
Support us
Our journalism is banned in Russia. We need your help to keep providing you with the truth.

Kremlin Denies Plan to Ban Foreign Players From Russian Football

Vladimir Putin (R) meets with FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the FC Krasnodar Stadium, May 23, 2017. Alexei Druzhinin / Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP

The Kremlin has denied reports that Russia could soon clampdown on foreign football players joining the country's top teams.

Officials discussed the possibility of barring foreign players from Russia's Premier League during a meeting of the Presidential Sports Council on Tuesday, the Interfax news agency reported.

Presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was quick to play down the proposals, telling reporters that the idea did not have Kremlin support.

Peskov said that Putin had acknowledged "difficulties in training Russian athletes," but insisted that "no-one spoke about any specific solutions."

Teams in Russia's Premier League are only allowed to have six foreign players on the pitch at any one time. The quota was last changed at the end of the 2014/2015 season.

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more