Artem Dziuba insulted the journalist conditionally

The Control and Disciplinary Committee of the Russian Football Union (FTC RFU) issued a decision in the case of Lokomotiv striker Artem Dzyuba, who was rude in communicating with a journalist from the RB Sport Internet portal. The player was suspended for two matches conditionally and fined 50 thousand rubles. The trial period will be valid until the end of the 2023/24 season.

Lokomotiv striker Artem Dzyuba, known for his sometimes outrageous behavior, managed to get a disqualification, even being in the status of an injured player and not entering the field. In this case, the FTC RFU was interested in the incident that occurred after the match of the fourth round of the Russian Championship, in which the railway workers hosted Wings of the Soviets. Dzyuba did not participate in it, nevertheless, already in the parking lot next to the stadium, the RB Sport correspondent wanted to talk to him, filming the conversation on the phone. However, the football player was not predisposed to conversation and uttered a phrase that became the subject of disciplinary proceedings.

The journalist asked Dzyuba about whether he was offended by the words of coach Igor Shalimov, who said that the striker would not score more than two goals this season. To which he replied: “Listen, you will finish the game. I’ll stick my phone in one place for you. You understood me? If you come again. I warned you for the last time. Then it will hurt you.” The interview itself actually ended there, but it got into the public space and caused a great resonance.

Moreover, some even considered that the episode drew on the threat of physical violence against a media representative and could be qualified almost under a criminal article.

In general, the FTC had to intervene. At the same time, there were no official statements and complaints about Dzyuba from RB Sport. Moreover, the journalist who attended the meeting of the committee in person did not take the footballer’s words as an insult. Considering this circumstance, as well as the fact that Dzyuba admitted he was wrong, however, having done this via video link, the FTC concluded that he did not deserve a real disqualification. With the wording “for offensive behavior towards other persons,” the striker was sentenced to two matches on probation until the end of the 2023/24 season. According to the chairman of the RFU FTC Artur Grigoryants, such behavior in relation to match officials would have been considered under a more serious article of the regulations.

“We received a petition from Lokomotiv with a request to allow Dziuba to take part in the meeting on the videoconferencing in connection with a cold,” said the head of the FTC. “Why was this case considered? Dzyuba was not in the application for the game, but according to the regulations of the RFU, he is a subject of football, regardless of whether he took part in the match or not. Plus, everything happened on the territory of the stadium and immediately after the match. The journalist was also accredited wearing a photographer’s bib. This is an important point.”

In addition, the chairman of the FTC said that Dziuba did not explain what exactly he had in mind when he said that he would stick the phone to the journalist in one place. Representatives of Lokomotiv, who participated in the meeting, generally suggested that their player, they say, meant that he would put the phone to the correspondent by the scruff of the neck or in his pocket. True, the club nevertheless admitted that Dzyuba allowed himself too much.

“FC Lokomotiv agrees that Artem Dziuba’s behavior was overly emotional, as the footballer himself said during the meeting of the FTC, promising to draw conclusions and not repeat such mistakes in the future,” says in the official press release At the same time, both the club and the footballer would like to emphasize that at the time of the shooting, the footballer was leaving the territory of the RZD Arena with his family, including young children, who were frightened by the persistent behavior of a stranger.

Therefore, the club called on the media to continue to communicate only in areas specially designated by the regulations, adhering to the principles of mutual respect, and not in parking lots or other places on the territory of the stadiums.

Lokomotiv also announced that it would apply to the RFU and the Premier League to develop appropriate amendments to the regulatory documents.

We add that the scandalous incident happened against the backdrop of a far from the most successful start in the new season for both Lokomotiv and Dziuba himself. In the same match with Wings of the Soviets, after which he flared up, the railway workers barely, as they say, rebounded, having miraculously leveled the score before the final whistle, and in general so far scored only five points in the championship, although they were considered not just contenders for medals, but a team capable of aiming for the main trophy. And Dziuba scored only one goal, and besides, he was injured. And then there is Shalimov with his predictions that he will score no more than two goals per season, because he was too carried away with performances in the show, which he hosts with former coach Leonid Slutsky on a popular video channel.

Alexander Ilyin