Russian officials take aim at rate of foreign players

The Russian Football Union (RFU) and the country’s Premier League are losing their passion for foreign players in an effort to stimulate home-grown talent.

RFU Vitaly Mutko said that this season only seven non-Russian players could appear at any one time on the pitch in Premiership matches, with that number to be gradually reduced to five by the 2010 season.

The relatively high number of foreign players in the Russian league has drawn criticism from sporting authorities, national manager Guus Hiddink and even Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“There are too many foreigners in our league,” Putin said.

“I believe their numbers should be limited because now we are short of skilled players of our own as we try to assemble the national squad.

“The amount of foreigners in our league suppresses young domestic talent,” he said.

Russian Sports Minister Vyacheslav Fetisov has also voiced concern about the domination of foreigners in the Russian Premiership.

“Today up to 70 percent of those who play in the Premier League are foreigners,” he said. “More than 200 footballers in just 16 clubs! This is absolutely unacceptable.”

INVASION

The foreign invasion took root in the early 1990s when the fall of the Soviet Union coincided with a severe economic crisis that hit almost all spheres of life in Russia.

Constant shortages wrecked the Soviet-era system of fostering young talent and youth sports programs virtually vanished.

COACHES

Hundreds coaches, who worked in the Soviet system, were forced to train for a new profession to make ends meet. Home-grown soccer talent became very scarce and the league’s regulations made it far more convenient for Russian clubs to bring in foreign players.

Adding the problem is that although many of the foreign imports are leading players with their clubs, few of them can be considered international stars, and most don’t shine at all.

Despite general mediocrity, Premiership clubs often have no choice other than to offer lucrative contracts to attract their foreign soccer talent.