State Duma deputy Zhuravlev accused the football players of being unwilling to donate money to the SVO

First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Defense Alexey Zhuravlev (Rodina faction) criticized Russian football players because of their lack of desire to donate their salaries to the needs of the Russian army. He admitted that the Russian football environment is “generally treacherous” because it does not voice opinions in support of the military operation on the territory of Ukraine.

“I don’t remember any cases where any of our football players gave at least part of their fabulous salary to the needs of the Russian army,” he said in an interview with “RIA News”.

According to him, the football players “turned out to be extremely greedy” for government money, but “completely unable to defend the country.” He noted that it was the country that “raised them into athletes and fed them for many years of their career.”

“But where is the football player who would warmly welcome the special operation and, moreover, would not flee Russia, but, on the contrary, would sign up for the front as a volunteer?” – said Alexey Zhuravlev, noting that this is what he expects from athletes who “were the pride of the country” and did not “commonly follow the lead of their own wallet.”

Alexey Zhuravlev cited the example of a friendly match between star players and servicemen of the Dzerzhinsky division who returned from the combat zone. At the same time, he noted that the players then “did not mean at all” that the proceeds from the match would be distributed to the needs of the Russian Armed Forces.

The match of Russian football stars with military personnel was held in Balashikha on May 5, 2023. The meeting ended with a score of 5:5. The match was dedicated to the 78th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War. It was attended by football players Andrei Tikhonov, Dmitry Alenichev and Egor Titov.

Polina Motyzlevskaya