The draw for the Russian Cup is neither secret nor transparent
A significant event has occurred in Russian football, they said. This was reported by Euro-football.ru.
The draw process for the group stage of the Russian Cup was held, and it was the most extensive and longest draw in the history of this tournament, but it was not shown to anyone. There was no live broadcast, there were cameras, but not for the audience.
No representatives from the clubs attended, as there was no such requirement in the procedure. The Russian Football Union held the lottery behind closed doors.
Despite the lack of a broadcast and the absence of team representatives, the results were officially announced. They claim everything is legal.
But the question arises: who saw this process? The attitude of the clubs indicates that no one saw it.
The Moscow "Dynamo" club expressed sharp discontent. They believe that the integrity of the draw process and its one-time execution were not monitored.
"Dynamo" emphasized the low level of trust and questions arose: how many times can the ball be drawn? The general director of Makhachkala "Dynamo," Gazizov, views the situation differently.
Upon hearing that the draw process took place, he said, "If it happened, we will play." This situation seems like there is no light in the refrigerator, but the yogurt is not spoiled.
The Secretary General of the Russian Football Union, Maxim Mitrofanov, explained the situation. According to him, the draw process lasted three hours, and people got tired.
Club representatives still do not come. Therefore, they recorded the process and prepared it in segments for news, considering this sufficient.
However, the most important aspect is that no club requested this recording. Perhaps they do not believe in its existence or are worried that if it exists, it has been edited.
The press service of the Russian Football Union reminded that a broadcast is not necessary. There were former players among the participants, lighting and decoration works were done, but there was no trust.
Millions of fans and club officials should have been able to see the ball rolling live and trust that it was fair. Now it is 2025, but clubs are simply being asked to trust.
There is no evidence, no access, or the ability to compare times. This situation is even less transparent than a draw process in a grandmother's kitchen.
The "Zenit" team was busy with a friendly match against "Crvena Zvezda" and did not participate in the draw. According to their chairman, Alexander Medvedev, the statement "Moscow Dynamo did not get the games, we regret it a bit" sounds like a conversation about paying the bill in a restaurant — it's too late, the choice has been made for you.
Can the draw process be held without witnesses? In the Russian Football Union, anything is possible.
The important thing is to then say everything is according to the rules, with no violations. This sounds like the argument "everything is under control, you just can't see it."
But in football, just appearing fair is not enough; it must be fair. In the current situation, trust in such draw processes is unattainable.
If systems do not feel the need to explain themselves, then they have either forgotten whom they serve or do not want to be accountable for trust. Author: Arman Tigranyants How do you evaluate this format of the Russian Cup draw?
- Everything is fine, I trust the Russian Football Union - Everything is legal, but I would like transparency - This is shameful. It shouldn't be done like this in 2025 - I don't care, as long as it's football Results and archival data are available.
