"Amkar"- Russian football club from Perm, founded on December 6, 1994. One of the youngest teams in our country, over the twenty-year history of its existence, has established itself as very strong and combative, regardless of the composition of the team. The club's highest achievement was reaching the final of the Russian Cup in 1995 and 4th place in the RFPL in the 2008 season.

History of FC Amkar

The path to the Premier League for the “red-blacks” turned out to be quite long, but nothing else should have been expected - the team from the mineral fertilizer production enterprise did not have huge financial opportunities. Therefore, they gradually moved at the expense of their students, the most famous among whom are Konstantin Zyryanov and Konstantin Paramonov. Five years after its creation, the team managed to reach the First Division, where in its entire history it never fell below sixth place, and in 2003 Amkar won the right to participate in the Premier League. And a year before that, the Permians reached the cup semi-finals for the first time in their history.

Over the ten years spent in the top echelon, Amkar only rose above tenth place twice - in 2008 (4th place) and 2009. Also in 2008, the team reached the final of the Russian Cup for the first time, where it led in the match with CSKA 2:0, but then missed the victory in the penalty shootout. The “ammonia” team also managed to play in the Europa League, although not for long – in the playoff round they were defeated by Fulham on aggregate in two matches. Which might not have happened if the Permians had been a little luckier... And one cannot help but note the fact that Bulgarian legionnaires played a very important role in the successes: Martin Kushev, Georgi Peev, Zachary Sirakov. And even now the club is a kind of haven for football players from this Balkan country, the so-called already beaten path.

With modest financial resources, Amkar has prospects with very competent coaches who can work with limited resources. These include Miodrag Bozovic and Stanislav Cherchesov. But why not now give a chance to the real legend of the club - Konstantin Paramonov? The man went with Amkar all the way from the very bottom to the European Cup zone, and earned the credit of trust. And it couldn’t have been better at the end of the season after the sudden departure of the coach.

In the 2014/15 season, Amkar started the tournament very poorly and was on the verge of relegation to the FNL. In December 2014, Gadzhi Gadzhiev became the new head coach of the team, who was able to raise the team to 11th place in the Russian Championship and was able to maintain registration in the RFPL, despite the disgusting start.

The management of the Perm club decided to conclude a long-term contract with the specialist. For the next two seasons, Gadzhiev successfully coped with the main task and retained registration in the RFPL for Amkar.

After the first half of the 2017/18 season, Amkar is in 13th place and is in the zone of transition matches.

Attributes of FC "Amkar"

Colors: red-black
FC Amkar mascot: a red lynx dressed in a club uniform
Anthem: “Our life is a game, and our religion is football...” Performed by the group “Wind”.

Fans of FC Amkar

Amkar has many fans and people who like this team because of its originality and ability to join the fight for European competition, despite constant financial problems. There is an official fan club.

Brothers and rivals

Amkar’s traditional rival is Ural; their confrontation is called the “Ural Derby”.

Famous players

• Konstantin Paramonov
• Konstantin Zyryanov
• Dmitry Belorukov
• Rustem Khuzin
• Konstantin Genich
• Konstantin Vasiliev
• Sergey Narubin
• Martin Kushev
• Georgi Peev
• Zachary Sirakov
• Martin Jakubko

Evseev Vadim http://fc-amkar.org/ red, black The club did not change its name

Story

Amkar is one of the most striking examples of the evolution of a football club in recent Russian history. In sixteen short years by club standards, the Permians have made their way from a physical education team to a participant in the Europa League, without ever taking a step back, if we take into account not the places in the standings, but the transitions from one division to another, the change in the team’s status at the end of the season. Having beaten a team of military students from the Perm Higher Military Command Engineering School (6:1) in the Perm Cup match on May 8, 1993, the football team of the Mineral Fertilizers joint-stock company thereby announced its birth. A year later, “Amkar” - and the name of the team was invented by a sports activist of the enterprise, successfully combining parts of the names of two substances that are the main products of the plant (ammonia and urea) - won the Cup and the championship of the Perm region and received professional status. A year later, the Permians made it to the second league, and in 1999 they became members of the first division.

Having played for five years in the country's second most important division and never falling below sixth place, the Permians won the right to play in the Premier League - and in the fifth year of their stay there they created a small miracle. A provincial team with modest capabilities took fourth place, ahead of Zenit, Lokomotiv, and Spartak. Success in the domestic championship allowed the Perm team to make their debut in Europe next year. It was not possible to defeat London's Fulham on aggregate, but the very fact of the "red-blacks" entering the European arena is worth a lot. By the way, the Urals owe their colors not to anyone, but to Milan itself - a uniform close to the Rossoneri equipment was once offered to the Permians by the Italian partners of the team’s founding enterprise.

In general, 2009 was not the most successful year for Perm residents. If in the first two seasons of his stay in the elite it was naive to demand great success from the team under the leadership of Sergei Oborin (who led the Permians for eleven years and went with the team all the difficult way from the third division to the top division), then, having settled among the best, the Permians under the leadership of first Rashid Rakhimov and then Miodrag Bozovic steadily progressed. Thirteenth place, then eighth, fourth... The already half-forgotten thirteenth place in the standings of the 2009 season is a rollback to previous positions, but this is also an opportunity to look at yourself from the outside. A chance to evaluate their successes in recent years and understand whether the team has climbed too high, perhaps jumping over a step in its development.

Fourth place in the 2008 championship is the main, but not the only success of Perm. The team played in the semi-finals twice and once in the final of the Russian Cup; in 2003, the Urals with incredible tournament performance became the winners of the first division. “Amkar” can boast of its own student in the Russian national team - Perm resident Konstantin Zyryanov received his football education in this club. Zyryanov, however, does not hold the record for the number of games for the “red-blacks”: Alexey Popov, who played for the Urals by the time of his departure to Rubin in 404 official matches, forever wrote his name in the history of Perm football.

After the departure of Sergei Oborin, a real coaching leapfrog began. From 2006 to 2013, the club had seven coaches: Igor Uralev, Rashid Rakhimov, Miodrag Bozovic, Dimitar Dimitrov, Nikolai Trubachev, Rustem Khuzin and Stanislav Cherchesov. Moreover, Rakhimov and Bozhovich came to Amkar twice, but each time their stay was short-term. The saddest thing for fans of the Perm team is that despite all the coaching changes, the club's results left much to be desired. After the outbreak of 2008, Amkar's best result was tenth place at the end of the 2011/12 season.

Awards and achievements

Participant of the 1/2 Russian Cup 2002
Winner of the Russian Championship in Division 1 in 2003.
In the Premier League since 2004
Finalist of the Russian Cup - 2008

Amkar took 13th place in the 2017/18 Russian Championship, and won the play-offs for the right to compete in the elite (2:0, 1:0). The Perm club did not receive a license on the first attempt, then filed an appeal, which was granted. At the same time, the licensing department of the RFU set a condition for the club to provide financial guarantees by June 8. Amkar did not have them. And as a result, the license was revoked.

This also applies to the FNL,” the head of the RFU licensing department explained to SE Evgeniy Letin. - In the PFL, Amkar has the opportunity to undergo a freelance licensing procedure. Everything will now depend on the club.

According to Letin, the deadline for Amkar to apply for a license to participate in the PFL championship is Thursday. That is, if tomorrow, on the opening day of football, the Perm club does not submit an application, it will automatically lose its professional status.

As SE columnist Sergei EGOROV previously reported, Amkar management received an offer from investors from Nizhny Novgorod and Kaliningrad to purchase the club for 150 million rubles. However, the deal did not take place. According to some reports, the owner of Amkar Gennady Shilov intended to receive 180 million rubles, as well as guarantees for repayment of the club’s debts, which amount to about 200 million rubles.

A statement appeared on Amkar's official website shortly after the RFU's decision, saying that on Monday, June 18, the club's board would meet "to analyze the situation and make a decision on the advisability of continuing the club's activities."

“If a decision is made to terminate activities, the issue will be brought to the general meeting of the organization’s members,” the statement notes. “The Amkar young football players training center, where more than 700 young Permians train, will continue to operate. An agreement in principle has been reached with the government of the Perm region "on the preservation of the Center. The center will be transferred to the jurisdiction of the regional institution for the training of young football players. Coaches and students will be provided with everything necessary for the training process at the expense of the budget of the Perm Territory."

"Anji" is ready to play in the Premier League and will submit the appropriate documents. Photo by Vitaly TIMKIV

"ANZHI" WILL SUBMIT DOCUMENTS FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE

Apparently, Amkar’s place in the RFPL will be taken by one relegated to the FNL. The Makhachkala team became 14th in the 2017/18 Russian Championship, and lost to the Krasnoyarsk team in the play-offs (0:3, 4:3). Now Anzhi is preparing documents in order to replace Perm in the Premier League.

“Anzhi is ready to play in the Premier League,” the general director of the Dagestan club told SE Oleg Flegontov. - We have now contacted the leadership of the RFPL and clarified what documents we need to submit in order to re-enter the Premier League. Now we are preparing the papers.

- Does Anzhi have financial guarantees for the season in the Premier League?

We have already passed licensing to participate in the Russian Premier League. As I understand it, the licensing committee was satisfied with our financial guarantees.

As for Perm football, there are plans to recreate the Zvezda club, founded back in 1932. The new team in the 2018/19 season can become a participant in the PFL championship.

"IF THERE ARE GUILTY PEOPLE, WE WILL NEVER KNOW THEM"

The situation in which Amkar found itself was commented on by the team's midfielder.

- What did the club management tell you?

A couple of days ago, players received text messages on their phones saying that on June 13 they would announce the closure of the club. So today’s news did not come as a surprise to us. In principle, everyone already understood that everything would end like this, there was little chance of salvation,” the 29-year-old midfielder noted in an interview with SE.

- Are they going to pay off debts to you?

As far as I know, the club president said that all employees and players are looking for new jobs, and he will deal with debts. Well, let's see what happens.

- Don’t really believe him?

It's hard to believe, of course. On the other hand, Amkar has still returned money to everyone over the years of its existence.

- Amkar officially closed the day before the start of the World Cup. Is there sad symbolism in this?

I don't even know. We thought that a home championship would somehow help. That people won't want to just bury the team. But... It didn't work. Nothing. Now “Zvezda” will enter the PFL. In general, maybe they should wait a couple of years and not show up?

- Many people believe that clubs are closing because football players have inflated salaries.

Amkar pays less than other Premier League teams. But if the salaries were very low, no one would go to play for this team. Those who say that our incomes are too high probably think that football is too easy. But playing it is not as easy as it seems from the outside. This is absolutely not true!

And the life of a football player is short. On the other hand, it is difficult to disagree with the fact that our people do not live very well. And clubs are allocated money from their budgets... I can’t say that this is the right way. In general, this topic can be discussed for a very long time.

- Who is to blame for the closure of Amkar?

It's hard for me to say. I think if there are culprits, we will never know about them.

"Olympiastadion" (Munich, Germany). Opened in 1972. Accommodates 69,250 spectators.

The final match of the first UEFA Champions League in the 1992/93 season took place at the Munich Olympic Stadium. Marseille and Milan competed for the trophy. The meeting, which took place on May 23, 1993, ended in victory for the French team with a score of 1:0.

The Munich Arena hosted the second final of the main European club tournament in 1997. In that match, Borussia Dortmund beat Juventus 3:1.

Olympic Stadium (Athens, Greece). Opened in 1982, reconstructed in 2002-2004. Accommodates 69,618 spectators.

The Olympic Stadium in the capital of Greece can be called happy for Milan. After losing in the final of the 1992/93 season, the Italian club again reached the decisive stage of the tournament the following year, where they defeated Barcelona with a score of 4:0.

Thirteen years later, the Rossoneri returned to the Athens Olympic Stadium as trophy contenders and again managed to win, this time over Liverpool 2-1.

"Ernst Happel Stadion" (Vienna, Austria). Opened in 1931, reconstructed twice - in 1986 and 2008. Accommodates 55,665 spectators.

The arena in the Austrian capital hosted the final of the Champions League of the 1994/95 season, and Milan participated in it for the third time in a row. Like two years earlier, the Italians lost with a score of 0:1, but this time to Ajax.

Stadio Olimpico (Italy, Rome). Opened in 1937, the last reconstruction was carried out in 1989-1990. Accommodates 72,698 spectators.

In the 1995/96 season, Ajax came to Rome as the reigning Champions League winner, but the Dutch club failed to defend its title. Already in the first half of the match with Juventus, the teams exchanged goals, after which they brought the matter to a penalty shootout. The Bianconeri were more accurate and won the main European club trophy.

The Olympic Stadium in Rome received the right to once again host the Champions League final of the 2008/09 season, but this time the local teams failed to make it to the decisive stage of the tournament. The trophy was won this year by Barcelona, ​​beating Manchester United 2:0.

Amsterdam Arena (Amsterdam, Netherlands). Opened in 1996. Accommodates 54,990 spectators.

The stadium, which now bears the name of Johan Cruyff, hosted the Champions League final just two years after it opened. In May 1998, Real Madrid and Juventus met on the field of the Amsterdam Arena. The match ended with a score of 1:0 in favor of the Madrid club.

Camp Nou (Barcelona, ​​Spain). Opened in 1957, it was reconstructed twice - in 1995 and 2008. Accommodates 99,354 spectators.

The Barcelona stadium has seen many memorable matches, but the 1998/99 Champions League final stands apart. Without exaggeration, that meeting between Bayern and Manchester United can be called legendary. The Germans took the lead in the 6th minute and controlled the game until the last minutes, but two goals scored by the Mancunians in stoppage time of the second half brought victory to Manchester United.

"Stade de France" (Saint-Denis, France). Opened in 1998. Accommodates 81,338 spectators.

The arena, built on the outskirts of Paris, hosted the Champions League final for the first time in the 1999/2000 season. The meeting between Real Madrid and Valencia ended with a confident victory for the Madrid club with a score of 3:0. This was the first time in the history of the Champions League that clubs from the same country played in the final.

6 years later, in the 2005/06 season, Barcelona and Arsenal competed for the trophy on the Stade de France field. The Londoners, who played in the minority from the 18th minute after goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was sent off, opened the scoring 10 minutes before the break, but in the second half goals from Samuel Eto'o and Juliano Belletti brought victory to the Catalans - 2:1.

"San Siro" (Milan, Italy). Opened in 1926. The last reconstruction was carried out in 1989. Accommodates 80,018 spectators.

The San Siro Stadium was renamed in honor of Giuseppe Meazza in 1979, but the historical name of the arena is still the most popular and recognizable throughout the world. The Champions League final has been held here twice.

In the 2000/01 season, Bayern and Valencia played a dramatic match in Milan in which penalty kicks played a major role. Already in the 2nd minute, Gaizka Mendieta brought the Spaniards ahead from the penalty spot, and 4 minutes later, the Bats goalkeeper Santiago Canizares saved a penalty kick from Mehmet Scholl. At the beginning of the second half, Stefan Effenberg equalized the score from the penalty spot, and the fate of the match was decided in a series of post-match strikes, in which the Bayern players were more accurate.

15 years later, in May 2016, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid almost exactly repeated the scenario of the game between Bayern and Valencia in the same arena. Regular time also ended with the score 1:1, in extra time the teams failed to score, and the Royal Club won in the penalty shootout.

Hampden Park (Glasgow, Scotland). Opened in 1903. Reconstructed in 1999. Accommodates 51,866 spectators.

Real Madrid and Bayer 04 took to the Hampden Park pitch in the Champions League final in May 2002, and six months later the arena celebrated its 99th anniversary. The match itself ended with a score of 2:1 in favor of Real Madrid and was remembered for Zinedine Zidane's beautiful goal from the line of the penalty area.

Old Trafford (Manchester, England). Opened in 1910. The last reconstruction was carried out in 2006. Accommodates 74,879 spectators.

The second final in the modern history of the Champions League involving teams representing one country took place in the 2002/2003 season. In the decisive match of the tournament, which took place in Manchester, Milan and Juventus met. The main and extra time ended with the score 0:0, and in the penalty shootout the victory for Milan was brought by a precise shot from Andrei Shevchenko.

Veltins Arena (Gelsenkirchen, Germany). Opened in 2001. The stadium's capacity was last increased in 2015; today it is 62,271 people.

The arena has had its current name since the summer of 2005; previously it was called Arena AufSchalke. The stadium hosted matches of the World Football and Hockey Championships. Since 2002, the annual Christmas Biathlon Star Race has been held here.

The 2004 Champions League final, held in Gelsenkirchin, is one of the most memorable for Russian fans, as one of the goals was scored by Dmitry Alenichev. The Porto midfielder set the final score of the match against Monaco (3:0). The Portuguese team at that time was led by Jose Mourinho, who became the youngest head coach in history to win the main European club trophy.

Olympic Stadium (Istanbul, Türkiye). Opened in 2002. Accommodates 80,500 spectators.

The stadium in Istanbul was built to host the 2008 Summer Olympics, but Turkey's bid did not receive the required number of votes, and the Olympics took place in Beijing. Currently, the arena in Istanbul bears the name of the first president of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and is the largest in the country.

The 2005 Istanbul Champions League final is arguably the greatest in the tournament's history. In the decisive match, Milan crushed Liverpool with a score of 3:0 after the first half, but in the second half of the meeting, goals from Gerrard, Smicer and Alonso turned everything upside down. There were no goals scored in extra time, and the British club was stronger in the penalty shootout.

"Luzhniki" (Moscow, Russia). Opened in 1956. The last reconstruction was carried out in 2017. Accommodates 81,000 spectators.

For the first time, Russia received the right to host the 2007/08 Champions League final, and this honorable mission was entrusted to the Luzhniki Grand Sports Arena. Chelsea and Manchester United competed for the trophy, marking the first time two English teams met in a Champions League decider.

The game caused a great stir among fans in both England and Russia; more than 67 thousand spectators were present in the stands. Midway through the first half, Cristiano Ronaldo put Manchester United ahead, but Frank Lampard equalized just before the break. The second half and extra time passed without any goals scored, and in the penalty shootout the Mancunians were more accurate.

Santiago Bernabeu (Madrid, Spain). Opened in 1947. The last reconstruction was carried out in 2001. Accommodates 81,044 spectators.

The home arena of one of the most successful clubs in modern football has hosted the Champions League final only once - in the 2009/10 season, but this only match has gone down in history.

Inter and Bayern met in the Madrid final. The match ended with a score of 2:0 in favor of the Italian club, and Jose Mourinho, who was working with the Nerazzurri at that moment, became the third coach in history who managed to win the Champions Cup with two different teams (there are now five of them: in addition to the Portuguese, this Ernst Happel, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Jupp Heynckes and Carlo Ancelotti).

An interesting fact is that in the Milanese squad in the 2010 final there was only one Italian - Marco Materazzi, and even he appeared on the field in the 90th minute of the match.

Wembley (London, England). Opened in 2007. Accommodates 90,000 spectators.

The new Wembley is built on the site of the legendary arena, which hosted matches of the World and European Championships, the Olympic Games and many European Cup finals.

The final match of the 2010/11 Champions League, which took place at the new Wembley, in a sense turned out to be a home match for Manchester United, but this did not help the Mancunians win the trophy. Barcelona, ​​led by the trio Xavi - Iniesta - Messi, won with a score of 3:1.

In 2013, Wembley hosted the first “German” Champions League final, in which Bayern and Borussia Dortmund met. The victory and the cup were brought to the Bavarians by a precise shot from Arjen Robben, who set the final score at 2:1 in the 89th minute.

Allianz Arena (Munich, Germany). Opened in 2005. Accommodates 67,812 spectators.

The decisive match of the 2011/12 Champions League season was the first final of the tournament, which was held at the home stadium of one of the participants in the meeting - Bayern hosted Chelsea in Munich. The scoring was opened only in the 83rd minute after a shot by the hosts' forward Thomas Muller, but five minutes later the leader of the Londoners' attack, Didier Drogba, restored the balance.

The fate of the trophy was decided in a penalty shootout. Bayern again took the lead after Philipp Lahm's accurate shot and Juan Mata's miss, but then the visiting players converted all their attempts, while the German team's players made two misfires. Thus, Chelsea won the Champions League for the first time in their history.

"Millennium" (Cardiff, Wales). Opened in 1999. Accommodates 73,930 spectators.

The home arena of the Wales national team was opened at the turn of the millennium, having received the appropriate name, but in 2016 the stadium received a new name - Principality Stadium, which, with a certain amount of imagination, can be translated simply as "Princely Stadium", since Wales is part of the United Kingdom, and the Queen's son Elizabeth II Charles bears the title Prince of Wales.

But let's return to the Champions League. The final of the main European club tournament took place here in 2017, and the participants in that match were Real Madrid and Juventus. The Madrid team won with a score of 4:1 and won their second Champions League title in a row, and football fans remembered that meeting for the super goal of Turin striker Mario Mandzukic.

"Metropolitano" (Madrid, Spain). Opened in 1994. Reconstructed in 2017. Accommodates 67,700 spectators.

Liverpool and Tottenham met in the 2019 Champions League final. The final was the first in Tottenham's history, and the first since the 2013 final, where at least one Spanish club did not play. Liverpool, reaching the final for the second time in a row, won the match 2-0. In his third Champions League final as head coach, Jurgen Klopp won the trophy.

https://www.site/2018-06-18/v_rossii_v_razgar_chm_2018_pohoronili_klub_premer_ligi_amkar

Instead of sports - a financial principle

In Russia, at the height of the 2018 World Cup, the Premier League club, Perm Amkar, was buried

From the website of FC Amkar

Russian football lost today, June 18, the famous Ural club Amkar. The team from Perm ceased to exist due to lack of funding. This news went unnoticed against the backdrop of the growing momentum of the World Cup. There are no messages about the liquidation of the club on the websites of the Russian Football Union (RFU) and the Russian Football Premier League (RFPL). But in football circles, many expressed sincere regret about this, noting that while Russia is trying to impress the West with the World Cup, football is dying within the country.

"Strong middle peasant"

By the standards of Russian giants, Amkar is a young team. The Perm club was founded in 1994 and played in the Russian Premier League (the highest club division) from 2004 to 2018. The best result of the Perm team was fourth place at the end of the 2007/08 season. At the same time, Amkar, under the leadership of Miodrag Bozovic, reached the final of the Russian Cup, where they lost to CSKA on penalties. “Amkar” was always considered a “strong middle peasant” and could beat the leaders of the championship race.

But at the beginning of 2018, Amkar began to experience financial difficulties, and the team’s performance in the Premier League was called into question. Last season, the club took 13th place and was forced to play in transition matches with the Tambov club for the right to remain in the RFPL.

Permians retained their residence in the elite. However, on June 13 it became known that the RFU had revoked Amkar’s license for the 2018-2019 season due to insufficient financial guarantees. Thus, the club lost the opportunity to play in the Premier League and the Football National League (FNL), which unites first division clubs.

Today, June 18, the board of FC Amkar met. After the meeting it was announced that the club would cease to exist. Amkar President Gennady Shilov said that the team will not even enter the Professional Football League (follows the FNL - editor's note). According to Shilov, there is no funding, and there is no point in accumulating debts. It is expected that the place of Amkar in the RFPL will be taken by Anzhi Makhachkala.

Budget cuts

Sports media note that everything was systematically moving towards the liquidation of the Perm club. The scenario was similar to how the Tosno club died. The team from the Leningrad region won the Russian Cup this year, after which it was disbanded for the same financial reasons.

It is reported that when the authorities of the Perm region reduced the amount of state support for Amkar in 2018, the team began to experience financial difficulties. Before this, about half of the club's budget came from budget subsidies. In addition, sponsors turned their backs on the team, and therefore Amkar had difficulty finishing the season.

According to the Sport Express newspaper, Amkar management received offers from investors from Nizhny Novgorod and Kaliningrad to purchase the club for 150 million rubles. But the deal did not take place. According to some reports, Shilov intended to receive 180 million rubles, as well as guarantees for repayment of the club’s debts, which, according to various estimates, range from 200 to 500 million rubles.

Now the club has to pay, among other things, arrears of wages. Thus, Amkar owed Nigerian national team player Brian Idov a salary for three months and bonuses for five games, writes R-Sport. The footballer noted that the situation with the club distracts him from the World Cup, while he feels sorry for the fans from Perm.

The club was “buried”

Many former players of the club, including ex-goalkeepers Roman Gerus and Alexander Selizov, expressed their regrets regarding the situation with Amkar. The current players are still looking for new teams. Amkar captain Petar Zanev said this, in particular.

Another former Amkar player, and now the manager of the revived Zvezda, Alexei Popov, told RIA Novosti that for him the liquidation of the Perm team is a sore subject. “I gave this club 20 years. The team was buried. I have been saying that the club has been going downhill for the last 5-10 years. In the end, this is what happened. As far as I know, the management wanted to save the team, but Shilov did not make any contact. It’s a pity that it turns out this way,” he said.

Even its most irreconcilable rival, FC Ural from Yekaterinburg, spoke today about the liquidation of Amkar. The teams have a 21-year history of rivalries, and each match was positioned as a Ural derby, which aroused increased interest among fans.

“Every person close to Ural football knows about the difficult relationship between Ural and Amkar fans towards each other, but today, at least for a day, we urge all fans to forget about it. The Perm club was our closest neighbor in the Russian Championship matches and, traditionally, the guest sector at the Zvezda stadium was filled to capacity with fans from Yekaterinburg. The Ural football club sincerely regrets that Amkar is no more... It’s still hard to believe, but we hope that Perm will return to the football map of Russia,” the Ural press service reported on its Facebook page.

Basketball instead of football

Co-chairman of the regional headquarters of the ONF in the Perm region, Gennady Sandyrev, believes that the conflict between Amkar’s top management and the regional authorities is at the heart of the club’s current financial troubles. “The situation is quite negative now. The club, which had been operating for more than 20 years, ceased to exist. And this is completely inconsistent with the decree of the Russian President that sports need to be developed in the regions, the younger generation needs to be educated and special attention should be paid to elite sports,” he notes. — In general, Amkar’s budget was one of the smallest in the RFPL. Therefore, it is doubly surprising that the leadership of the region and the club were unable to agree and develop some steps to normalize the situation.”

According to the calculations of the Kommersant newspaper, in past years, about 400 million rubles were allocated from the regional budget to Amkar. per year, plus the government agreed with energy companies to help the club for 160 million rubles. The club earned the rest from transfers, as well as from revenues from television broadcasts.

In September 2017, Governor Viktor Basargin was replaced by Maxim Reshetnikov, and already this year only 201 million rubles were allocated from the regional budget to Amkar. Perm media suggest that the new governor’s other hobbies are to blame. Maxim Reshetnikov, according to rumors and some facts, prefers basketball. Coincidence or not, the financing of Parma basketball in Perm is now solid and stable, the club has no problems.

Instead of sports - a financial principle

Vice President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of FC Ural Alexander Levin, in a conversation with a Znak.com correspondent, named another reason why Amkar was destined to leave the RFPL. According to him, the Premier League, instead of the sports principle of selecting participating teams, puts the financial principle in the foreground. And today, in order to obtain a license to participate in the RPFL, enormous funds are required. That’s why no one is in a hurry from the FNL to the top division.

“Why, if you have to spend, roughly speaking, a billion instead of 100 thousand for a season? And then, in addition to financial guarantees, we need guarantees in terms of infrastructure. Not everyone can do this today,” he noted. “But, of course, the liquidation of Amkar is simply shocking news, this is a very serious loss. It was known about financial difficulties, but no one imagined that it would end like this. If the state does not support our clubs now, until Russian football reaches the European level, we will lose teams.”

According to Kommersant's information, Amkar's management is now considering options for closing the club - through bankruptcy or through voluntary liquidation, declaring its intention to pay off all the players. The only positive aspect remains that the Amkar Young Football Players Training Center, where more than 700 young Permians train, will continue its work. The center will be transferred under the leadership of Perm officials from the regional administration of the same name.