On November 20, the Russian State Duma proposed a bill prohibiting natural monopolies from sponsoring professional sports teams. The lawsuit initiators are eight members of the Federation Council including the former ice hockey defenseman Viacheslav Fetisov.
The restrictions are imposed on to the major Russian companies as Gazprom, Russian Post, Rostelecom, Transneft, and Russian Railways. In case the bill is approved, such soccer teams as Zenit supported by Gazprom, and Lokomotiv bankrolled by Russian Railways, will suffer the most.
According to the new law, any payments and contributions made by natural monopolies to professional sports squads will be illegal. According to the legislators, one of the reasons for introducing such restrictions was high expenditures of the teams sponsored by companies of this kind. In the Duma’s opinion, this money must serve the society.
Meanwhile, the deputies tabled an offer to tighten control over the funds governmental organizations spend on charity, sports events, cultural and educational work, and so on.
However, this idea did not win the majority. Igor Ananskikh, the chairman of the State Duma Committee for Physical Culture, Sport, and Youth Affairs, did not support the bill claiming it “unreasonable”, ITAR-TASS said on November 25.
To date, Gazprom is one of the most active supporters of sports clubs. The state-controlled gas monopolist also supports such soccer teams as German Schalke 04 and Serbian Crvena zvezda (commonly known as Red Star Belgrade). In November, news leaked out that the company has contract negotiations with Bulgarian soccer club Levski. In September 2013, Gazprom entered into agreement with the FIFA for 2015-2018. Besides, it sponsors the UEFA.
