Ivan OrekhovCorrespondent SportAll materialsOn Thursday, a meeting of the clubs of the Russian Premier League (RPL) took place, at which, a day before the start of the new national championship draw, they had to make a final decision regarding the new RPL Cup. They refused to hold the tournament, but there will still be changes in Russian football. The intrigue disappeared even before the start of the event. Showered with insiders about the rejection of the idea. Also, CSKA General Director Roman Babaev hinted at the reform of the Russian Cup without the creation of the League Cup. As a result, the main news of the day was announced by Zenit General Director Alexander Medvedev: No League Cup, its format will form the basis of the updated Russian Cup. And this is in light of reports that the organizers of the RPL Cup have found sponsors who are ready to invest more than three billion rubles in the tournament. Why was the League Cup interesting? The tournament was supposed to appear in the 2022/23 season due to the ban of domestic clubs in European competition. As you remember, our teams were suspended by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) from participating in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League. It turns out that until December the middle weeks (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) will be free. The option of expanding the RPL to 18 teams was also dismissed earlier. The League Cup could fill this gap. An unusual format, an additional incentive in the form of a trophy and bonuses for players. Given that almost all clubs had previously supported the idea, the chances of the birth of this competition were seen as good. However, they decided to change the scenario. Note that the Premier League Cup has already been held. In 2003, Zenit became the winner of the tournament.
