Belarus League faces deep crisis

The Executive Committee of Belarusian Federation ends with an hard criticism of current domestic hockey scenario. President Evgeny Vorsin mentioned a "brutal critique" coming from President and hockey fans Aleksandr Lukashenko

"The performance of Belarus clubs this season in various leagues have been disappointing. In different speech even the President Lukashenko delivered a brutal critique of our work. Sometimes things in our business called a disgrace. Also, financial irregularities were discovered in coaches and various employees' wages. We verified the activities of all sports schools, the information was communicated to the competent authorities and we waiting for the inquiry results. Apart from this, there are various points  to be considered.And first of all it is necessary to establish cooperation between Dinamo Minsk and the Open League clubs. We need to reorganize the activities of the federation. Maybe we need to dismiss some workers, because we aren't doing all that was planned to develope hockey in Belarus" said Vorsin.

Also Federation Sport Director Vladimir Shvabovsky painted a depressing scenario, stressing the drop of spectators as the most significative factor to prove the crisis: "This season we lost 61.000 spectators" said Shvabovsky.

But the roughest criticism comes from the governing body: the words of Maxim Rizhenkov, Assistant to the president of Belarus on sporting matters,  are crystal-clear: "I was in a meeting with the President. Almost all the governors raised this issue: while the State invests heavily in ice hockey (even larger than in football), it is waiting for the results of growth in the country. Todat the popularity of our Domestic league tends to zero. There are problems in the national and junior national teams.Until we learn to rely on our players, nothing will change.The President is ready to cancel tomorrow  the decree about state clubs in sports, if he sees that there are distortions of the planned course "

Looking for solutions for improving the level and the interest for Belarus League, Federation presents the changes for next season:

The beginning of the championship is scheduled for 5 and 6 September and, according to Shvabovsky the league could return to be a pure domestic league, after the announce of the exit by Latvian Metalurgs Liepaja. " The Open championship concept can go out the window. So far we have ten teams of Belarus and the need to develop a formula for the tournament, based on this number. The rest is just rumors " - said Shvabovsky - "Berkut and Companion Kyiv expressed the desire to apply to partecipate but by now is not clear in what format will the next PHL, so we can't confirm anything until to have a better idea of what will happen in Ukraine next season."

Federation will keep the rule of allowing just goalies with Belarusian citizenship, while every team can have a roster of no more than 25 players, no more than two can be imports. The age limit is set for players born in 1992 and older. Clubs can register a maximum of five players born in 1993 and 1997,  these players will take part in the tournament with a special permit.

Finally Vorsin announced Yunost Minsk won't partecipate in VHL next season and will be back in Belarusian League. Also the junior club Dinamo-Shinnik, under a new leadership, can apply to enter in the League.

Surfing Belarussian sites and forums, generally the reactions of fans are negative about the reduction of imports and age limits. Among the professionals, Metallurg Zhlobin coach Vasili Spiridonov expressed his discordance. "Removing now the players who can decide the game and educate young people, we will fall even lower. Star players as Kaznadey, Shinkevich and Andryushchenko grew up looking at the veterans and following the exemple of experienced foreign players.If they will not, the degradation of the championship and our players will continue "

 

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