Krasnodar owner Galitsky hails proposed plans to get rid of quota on foreign players

Russian club Krasnodar owner Sergey Galitsky supported the proposal to remove the restrictions on the number of foreign players in the Russian Premier League.

«The question of removing the restrictions on foreigners was discussed today at the Russian FA meeting. Look at Benfica today – there wasn’t a single Portuguese player on the pitch, but did that weaken the Portugal national team? We, on the other hand, have to pay the players with a Russian passport twice as much in salary and look for new players in lower leagues. Does that make our clubs stronger and healthier in terms of finances?» Galitsky noted.

«All the club owners want to have young players from their club’s academies getting into the first team, but there aren’t any around at the moment. We have an academy with 3000 kids, but they won’t be ready to play in the top flight by tomorrow. They need time to grow, but how will that happen, if they are earning millions by the time they are 20? They lose their motivation precisely because of the quota.»

«We cannot be competitive on the international level if we do not change the restrictions. We won’t be able to win the Champions League and will have to settle for below par tournaments, like the Europa League,» he concluded.