The limit on foreign players is one of the most sensitive topics for fans of Russian football. Throughout the country there is not a single fan who in one way or another would not express his opinion on this issue. Well, let's and we will discuss a little on this subject.
First limit
The first limit on foreign players in Russia was introduced after the championship of the Russian Empire in 1912. In that distant championship, the St. Petersburg team won, which more than half consisted of the British. After the innovations, more than three foreigners were banned from entering the field, which then seemed logical.
Soviet times
For objective reasons, during the Soviet era, there could be no talk of a limit in principle. The first foreigner in the championship appeared only in 1989 - the Bulgarian Tenyo Minchev, whom the “Wings of the Soviets” exchanged for, attention, two volleyball players. Since that time, the number of legionnaires in Russia has gradually increased. The nonsense was the appearance in the Moscow “Locomotive” of an American in 1990, Dale Mulholland. Play for the Soviet club was his dream, for which he had to fight.
Limit return
After the collapse of the USSR, there were more foreigners in the Russian Championship. The problem was that not all of them were good at playing football. The limit of legionnaires was already on the agenda. However, not everyone was interested in his return, because foreign players were cheaper than homegrown, moreover, this is a kind of exotic that attracts spectators to the stands. But in 1999, the RFU was forced to introduce a limit on foreign players, though so far only in the lower leagues.
The limit moved to the country's top championship in 2005. More than five foreigners could not enter the field, but with one caveat. A football player who played a certain number of matches (10 or more) for his national team was not considered a legionnaire. The following year, this amendment was canceled, but the number of legionnaires simultaneously on the field was increased to 7.
Limit today
Currently, the limit on foreign players in Russia allows no more than 6 foreigners to be on the field. Also considered to be a legionnaire is one who has Russian citizenship, but does not have the right to play for the national team of the country. A striking example of this is Peter Odemwinge, a native of Tashkent, a former player of Moscow Lokomotiv, who later switched to English West Bromwich Albion. Peter was played for the Nigeria national team and did not have the right to play for Russia.
The tightening of the limit was dictated by the need to grow more quality local players. The Russian team is positioning itself as a high-class team that wants to constantly participate in world and European championships. At the same time, she clearly lacks stability. So, 2008 was almost the most joyful and positive for Russian football fans, and 2010 was a real nightmare. Then the team lost in butt games to the Slovenes and did not go to the mundial in South Africa.
Opinion of management and fans
Now the head of the RFU and concurrently Minister of Sports Vitaly Mutko says that the limit in Russian football is vital. In his opinion, this tool will help us grow a larger number of high-class players. If this does not succeed, the Minister of Sports promised to solve the problems of the national team through the naturalization of the legionnaires.
Not everyone agrees with this position. Many people think that in our championship there should not be such a thing as a limit on foreign players. When they introduced it, the Russian championship lost significantly in entertainment, but this is still half the trouble.
The main problem is that Russian players do not have competition. Clubs are forced to support players, pay them a high salary, and regularly release them on the field just because they have a Russian passport. This whole situation resembles the economic development of the USSR, when the country took an extensive path, which meant an increase in the number of enterprises, farms, etc., but at the same time the quality of production remained unchanged.
Limit in Europe
If we talk about the limit on foreign players in the European championships - there it is practically absent. In most countries, the limit is only nominal, not affecting the real situation. It is believed that the English Premier League is the most mired in the legionnaires, but this does not prevent the country from having a world-class team, which always claims to be awarded.
Is there an alternative?
The current tightening of the limit on foreign players in Russia is positioned as the preparation of the national team for the home World Cup in 2018. As a comparison, we can cite preparations for the similar championship of 2006 for the German national team.
In 2000, at the European Championships in Belgium and the Netherlands, the Bundestim could not even overcome the group stage. All of Germany said that it was a real shame for German football. When the Germans got the right to host the 2006 World Cup, they were given special subsidies to prepare for the World Cup. With this money, a huge number of sports football schools across the country were opened for children 13-17 years old. Also, the clubs of the first and second divisions were required to open special centers for the training of young football players.
It paid off. In 2006, the Bundesmanscape beat the Portuguese in a match for 3rd place. After 8 years in Brazil, the Germans did become world champions. And this despite the fact that the formal limit on legionnaires in Germany acted for a very short time, but in the end it was completely canceled as unnecessary.
Be that as it may, the limit on foreign players in Russia is valid and so far no one is going to cancel it. We need to put up with this. But at the same time, we must be very clear that without the development of youth sports, no tightening of the limit can save Russian football.