MOSCOW, 23 Jun. It is necessary to have 20-25 clubs that are ready in terms of finance, infrastructure, sports requirements to play in the Russian Premier League (RPL), Alexander Dyukov, head of the Russian Football Union (RFU), told reporters. A general meeting of RPL clubs was held on Monday in absentia form. The proposal of Ural Yekaterinburg to increase the number of league participants in the 2023/24 season from 16 to 18 was put to the vote. Most of the clubs opposed. «This is a question for the clubs. They proceed from a specific situation. In the future, I see the expansion of the RPL to 18 teams «We should have 20-25 clubs that would be ready to play in the RPL in terms of finance, infrastructure, sports requirements. Now you see who is trying to play intensively and who is not. Reducing the league would be wrong,» Dyukov said. At the end of May, the Executive Committee of the RFU decided to keep the current format of the RPL. 16 teams will take part in the next championship of Russia.
