Spartak owner Leonid Fedun hints at corruption in state-sponsored clubs

Leonid Fedun, the owner of Russian Premier League outfit Spartak Moscow, spoke out about the corruption schemes and illegal activities that allegedly take place in clubs, managed by local governments and authorities.

«It is not unusual for club directors and managers to use illegal methods to launder the money invested by the state. That includes money given for transfers – everyone remembers the story of Tom’ Tomsk and Pavel Pogrebnyak, which just keeps going – as well as the cash provided for bribing referees. Those managers persuade the local governments that the bribe money is a necessity – « Everyone pays them off, so we must, too» – but they forget to mention the actual fees.»

«The principle is simple here: they guarantee a result and promise to return the money if it isn’t achieved. But ultimately a lot of this money ends up in the pockets of numerous functionaries and side figures. Of course, private owners such as myself of [CSKA Moscow chairman] Giner, as well as Kuban of Krasnodar presidents, wouldn’t stand for something like that,» Fedun told RIA Novosti.