VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
Transcript of the beginning of the meeting:
Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon. I have just met with the editorial staff of [Russian sports newspaper] Sovetsky Sport. We were talking a lot about football, especially in view of Russia's bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2018. We must do everything we can to back our bid and, if we win, do a great job in upgrading the infrastructure-stadiums, hotels, transport and all. Of no smaller importance is Russian football and support for certain clubs. We have learned about the situation in your club from the media. You are a famous team-one of the top teams in Russia. You have a great fan base in Russia and, of course, in Siberia.
It is not easy for everyone right now during the crisis, and sport clubs are even worse off than industrial companies. That is why I have instructed my colleagues to lobby Siberian-based companies for assistance to your club. Business is going well for these companies despite the present-day difficulties.
The last few days have seen progress on my directive; as far as I know, the relevant agreements have been made. To start with, I would like to thank you all for your constructive approach.
It goes without saying that the club itself should make its own efforts and minimise its expenditures for Russian companies supporting it, so that all shall benefit from the partnership. That will only be possible if the club makes a good show, as, for instance, in its last outing [on the pitch].
That is, those company managers present here will gain by placing their advertisements at the club, and thus appreciate their own involvement in this partnership.
Now, I would like to hear from those attending what the final agreements have been made. Please, go ahead.
Vitaly Mutko: Mr Putin, I would like to say a few words.
Thank you for your attention to this problem. Indeed, we understand that football and other club sports are going through hard times. Our commercial activities in many [sports organisations] have also been under strain. We are striving as much as we can to increase budget allocations to football clubs.
Many clubs have started to have difficulties. A dozen have been already liquidated. Naturally, we cannot devote our continual focus onto clubs that are not as integral to the community and society as Tom Tomsk is. This is the only club of its kind east of the Urals. This year, Tomsk will celebrate its football centenary.
For the past five years, [Tomsk oil company] Tomskneft VNK has been one of the closest partners of the club. The company has helped Tom rise to the Premier League and build its sports facilities. Thanks to its sponsorship, the club has an excellent academy for 500 children and a junior team of 25 locally trained footballers from Siberia. A stadium has been upgraded to Premier League status. And, of course, first and foremost, it's all about the fans - the last match was a full house.
Of course, we have spoken and appealed to two oil companies - Tomskneft, whose co-founder Gazprom now operates through its affiliate Gazpromneft, and Rosneft - to become club partners at least for the next one to two years. Both the club management and its partners have been in discussions over the minimum funds to support Tom F.C.
I certainly approve what you have said. Of course, the club needs to be run with great transparency and observe the normal legal and organisational forms of partnership; both sides must agree upon a transparent contract. Funds must be channelled publicly in covering the expenses, something that everyone must stay informed about. The club should do everything to promote such transparency.
Mr Putin, this club is rather successful within the Russian Premier League in terms of its financial management. It earns about 20% of its costs on ticket, programme and mascots sales. The club might have a lean purse but its players are worthy representatives of Russian football. The captain is here in this audience.
Sergei Pareiko, Tom football team captain: First of all, please take this club scarf-a gift on behalf of all the players and fans.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you.
Sergei Pareiko: Thank you for your help, and I hope you will because one of our fans because, I think, your attention to the club has played a decisive role [in helping Tom F.C.].
Vladimir Putin: How will you play?
Sergei Pareiko: Mr Putin, we will try to do our best on the pitch and win.
Vladimir Putin: CEOs from seven companies are present-the Alliance group, Rosneft, Gazpromneft, Sibur, Transneft, Inter RAO UES, and the MRSK Holding.
(To the Rosneft President) Mr Bogdanchikov, please tell us how the company has made its far-reaching decision.
Sergei Bogdanchikov: This is not the only project for Tom F.C. Rosneft has been involved in. Under your resolution, I was appointed head of Russia's Summer Olympic Sports Association. Such is my public service.
We collect 7 to 8 million dollars a year from sponsors. The Executive Committee distributes the money between 33 federations. Our only regret is that the Football Union has not joined the Association even after several proposals. Therefore, football does not even get the modest sums it is entitled to.
For Rosneft, this is not its sole sport project. We regard the Tomsk Region as our home. We have several industrial companies there-in particular, Tomskneft and Tomsknefteproduct-as well as a research institute. Rosneft has many employees in the Tomsk Region, so the decision to support this project has been in principle a logical one.
Vladimir Putin: In essence, you have taken on this project for your own personnel?
Sergei Bogdanchikov: To a great extent, yes.
Vladimir Putin (to Mussa Bazhayev, Alliance Group President): Mr Bazhayev, how does your company assist sports?
Mussa Bazhayev: For a period, we served as partners of the Russian national ice hockey team. That was in 2002, when Russia won silver after a nine-year hiatus during which the team did not win a single world prize. I think Alliance contributed in its own way to the team's improvement. Now we are funding the Neftyanik bandy [ice hockey with ball played outside] team in the Khabarovsk Region, which won the Russia Cup twice-a club first. Alliance also sponsors the Samorodok volleyball club, also in the Khabarovsk Region. Nothing matters to the company more than developing and supporting the community.
I feel obliged to thank you because I am a football fan. All football fans are glad to see you promoting the 2018 World Cup bid. It would be wonderful to see Russia hosting this grand football forum.
As for promoting Tom, I have been a CSKA fan since childhood but we all see that wealth must be shared, so naturally we will help as you say.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you.
(To Alexander Dyukov, Gazpromneft CEO) Mr Dyukov, I know your [management] team is actively supporting sport organisations, and donates much to sport development.
Alexander Dyukov: Yes, we are supporting Zenit St Petersburg F.C., and two hockey teams- Avangard Omsk and SKA St Petersburg. We are willing to offer financial and organisational support to Tom F.C. since we have a certain degree of experience in sport management. I think our advice and recommendations will benefit the club.
Vladimir Putin (to Dmitry Konov, Sibur President): Mr Konov, how does your company offer support?
Dmitry Konov: We also have considerably widespread sponsorship deals. Our company supports sport programmes in 16 regions, including some parts of West Siberia. We are a partner of Zenit, the Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod hockey club, the Spartak St Petersburg basketball team, as well as Tom F.C. We are active in a range of sports. We are also involved in some children's sport projects.
Vladimir Putin (to Nikolai Tokarev, Transneft President): Mr Tokarev, is your company active all over the country?
Nikolai Tokarev: Mr Putin, we support not only the leading sport organisations. We give major assistance to Luch-Energiya F.C. in Vladivostok, the Cycling Federation, the Russian national Paralympic team, as well as several major teams in the Continental Hockey League, which our company has founded.
We are channelling significant resources into the development of amateur and grassroots sports in the regions, including sports for children. The company holds national athletic games every year. So, you can see Transneft is a patron of sport.
Vladimir Putin (to Yevgeny Dod, Inter RAO UES): Mr Dod, your company is long established but, to be frank, I have never heard about it sponsoring sports.
Yevgeny Dod: We are mainly supporting other CIS countries. We sponsor a junior alpine skiing school and hockey teams in Kazakhstan, Armenia, Transdnestr and Moldova. We mainly specialise in children's sport. As for football...
Vladimir Putin: You mean those countries where you are doing business? Am I right?
Yevgeny Dod: Yes, we are active in all CIS countries, while we promote Russian sport in the new Siberian projects-in particular, in the Tomsk Region. All these are our social projects.
As our colleagues have said, we are all football fans and all played the sport back in the day. Naturally, we will do our best for the Tomsk Region, all our local employees are Tom fans, so it will be our pleasure to help the club.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you.
(To Boris Maltsev, the Speaker of the Tomsk regional legislature) Mr Maltsev, I hope regional authorities will create the necessary conditions for sports and find opportunities to support them.
Boris Maltsev: Mr Putin, we are grateful for your support. I am hopeful that this not only applies to our football in Tomsk but also to all of Siberia. Our city is indeed one of a kind. Fans come from 36 cities to support Tom F.C., so its support is a cause for the whole of Siberia.
More than 4,500 children are playing football in the Tomsk Region, which is something of a football Mecca. We have 250 winter football teams, who play even in temperatures as low as -40°C. So this ambitious social project really matters.
We indeed give our support. Look, almost all "fathers" of Tom F.C. are seating here. In truth, they are more stepfathers-but then, a stepfather sometimes cares for a child even more than a father. So I am very grateful to those who responded to our appeal, and to Mr Igor Sechin's request. He and Mr Vitaly Mutko were really supportive.
I want to say again that all Tomsk supporters and other fans in Siberia are also grateful. I am hopeful that support will not only arrive this year, but in the future as well.
We have allocated approximately 300 million roubles a year from the regional budget to the club for the last five years. Last year, the football club was surviving on budget allocations alone. Our finances reached a critical level this year; this is why the team is in such a difficult state.
I promise our team will perform well this year thanks to your help. We promise the team will remain in the Premier League next year.
Regional authorities have done much to promote football, and will do so in the future. It will help the team with money and, above all, monitor the spending of financial aid.
Vladimir Putin (to Valery Nepomnyashchy, Tom F.C. head coach): Mr Nepomnyashchy, are there children's football academies in the region?
Valery Nepomnyashchy: Mr Putin, I have worked in Tomsk a little more than six months but I already know how football matters to the city and the region.
When I arrived in Tomsk, I had no idea of the extent of local infrastructural development. I was really astonished to see an excellent football academy there, and a children's artificial turf stadium, which has opened quite recently.
Tomsk ranks rather high in national championships, and always competes as a finalist.
We must strive ourselves to warrant your assistance. Meanwhile, we can only regret that Tomsk footballers shift to higher-ranking teams year in, year out. Such drain in personnel is normal-we could not afford to keep those boys until now.
Now, under these [improved] conditions, I hope that players will stay in the team, strengthen it and play with pride for our supporters. Mr Maltsev says there are 250 winter football teams playing in the frost. It stuns me! I understand that in Brazil, thousands of people play on the beach-but football in Tomsk in the winter! Altogether, I am confident we will perform gallantly and be happy of our achievements.
We all hope the World Cup will be staged here in Russia; we will give our wholehearted support to prepare the national team.
Vladimir Putin: Good. I want to thank once again the company managers and business representatives, and wish the team every success.
