MOSCOW, August 11, Vasily Bogdanov. Former national team coach Russian Ice Hockey Federation Vladimir Plushchev said he did not believe in the return of the Russians to the international arena because of the financial problems of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).
Earlier, First Vice-President of the Russian Hockey Federation (RHF) Roman Rotenberg said that the national team is ready to return to international tournaments so that the IIHF does not go bankrupt.
“Obviously, there are certain losses due to the absence of Russia and Belarus at international tournaments. Our hockey players have a huge number of fans who would fill the stands at all competitions. But I don’t think that this situation can somehow affect the return of national teams to tournaments. The IIHF is now guided by other principles. In addition, the rules there are dictated by other people who do not care about financial losses. Look at how much Europe has lost after abandoning the Russian market, what do they think of the financial problems of hockey?» Plushev said.
The IIHF Council has suspended the national teams of Russia and Belarus from international competitions for an indefinite period due to the situation in Ukraine at the end of February 2022. The organization also took away from Russia the right to host the youth and adult world championships in 2023. In March, IIHF President Luc Tardif announced that the IIHF Council would return to the issue of allowing the national teams of Russia and Belarus to participate in international competitions in March 2024.