Valery Ovchinnikov Questions the RPL Exclusion of Torpedo: Whats Proven and What’s Just Speculation?

Former head coach of Nizhny Novgorod’s Lokomotiv, **[Valery Ovchinnikov](#)**, commented on the exclusion of Moscow’s Torpedo from the Russian Premier League. This decision was reached following an investigation by the Disciplinary Committee of the Russian Football Union (RFU) on July 10.

«How could Torpedo be removed from the RPL when nothing has been proven? Only a court can make that determination, especially since a criminal case regarding bribery has been initiated. However, this doesn’t mean that the owner and Torpedo are guilty. Once a trial takes place and guilt is established, then action can be taken. But right now, the RFU acted too hastily.

I doubt that the head of Torpedo approached the referee with an offer of money. This is a murky situation. We live in a rule-of-law state—decisions should be made according to the law. Perhaps someone really wanted to advance their own team because the new season is starting soon. In a month or two, they might find that there’s no evidence, and it would be a missed opportunity. That’s one possible scenario,» Ovchinnikov stated in an interview with Championship correspondent Vladislav Kruglov.

Torpedo was scheduled to face CSKA in the first round on Monday, July 21. Previously, the president of the Moscow club, Leonid Sobolev, was accused of exerting illegal influence on match outcomes.