Author: VK.
The match for the Russian Super Cup between Zenit St. Petersburg FC and Rubin Kazan will take place on July 14 in Samara at the Metallurg stadium.
Sergei Cheban, executive director of the Russian Football Premier League
We are at the threshehold of a new event, a new page in the history of Russian football. The beginning of the season, which is held on the basis of the new autumn-spring system …. Nevertheless we will be participants, I hope, and spectators of a traditionally wonderful beginning: the matches of the Russian Super Cup. I would like to remind you that when recently we were choosing a venue for this match, we were first of all thinking that Russian football should develop everywhere, and therefore it is no accident that among a great number of candidates to host this match we have chosen the town of Samara. We would like it to become an additional impulse for the development, first of all, of the material-technical basis of the stadium, club, city and the region itself. And that is how it all happened. We are very happy that it will take place in a football city, Samara, where people do love football and live this holiday many weeks. It will be enough to look at the photos and video materials which were presented to you today. Indeed, the city lives in expectation of the football holiday. And I am convinced that this holiday will take place. Traditionally, all matches are characterized by persistent struggle, the two strongest teams meet each other. Based on the results of the previous season, these are the country's champion, Zenit Saint Petersburg FC, and the winner of the Cup, Rubin Kazan FC. We are expecting a real holiday. Moreover, taking into consideration slight changes in the regulations of the championships, we will attempt to test certain issues, certain security measures. And we hope that we will meet each other there and will witnes real, colourful, mature, true football.
Alexander Meytin, Director of Security of the Russian Football Premier League
I would like to say that colossal work has been done by Samara clubs and the city for the preparation of this match. All of you know this stadium. It is a rather old stadium, it was built back in the Soviet era, it has, so to say, a mediocre infrastructure which is closer to being bad. At the moment, in cooperation with the club we are conducting tremendous work. You would not recognize the stadium. We have asphalted all the access roads to the stadium, all the streets. We have supplied electricity. Works are ongoing all day. I believe that Samara will be on time to host this football holiday. It is showing tremendous work, tremendous effort, human effort. Yesterday I was present at a meeting between the chairman of the government of the Samara region and a vice-governor, another vice-governor, mayor of the city, vice-mayor of the city, heads of the main ministries. Everyone was ready to adequately host the fans, properly organize conditions for the people arriving, meaning the fans of Rubin and Zenit, and to make it in fact a good holiday. Police representatives were also present. Rather serious efforts will be involved in ensuring public security and order. As an experiment, for the first time we will close the main area of the stadium with the help of employees of private security firms - the stewards. Police will help us maintain public order. The Samara club is planning the following reception of fans: on September 12 the disco club "Zvezda" will host a concert of several rock bands. 1,500 Zenith fans will be invited there. On September 14, at 11:00 in the fan zone there will be a football championship between the fan teams of Rubin, Zenith and Krylia Sovetov. Finally, on September 15, on Sunday a center for entertainment will host a bowling tournament with the participation of 32 teams: 8 Zenith teams, 8 Rubin teams and 8 Krylia Sovetov teams. Therefore, leisure time activities will be provided. Concerning the reception of fans, we confirmed the information that Zenith will provide three buses for Zenith. The rest of the fans will come on their own, by various means of transport. We know that 90% of Rubin fans arrive in Samara on one day. Therefore, the largest amount of fans will come from Saint Petersburg. Sergei Kulikov, match commissioner of the Super Cup, head of the Department of Professional Football of the Russian Football Club On the eve of the season, as in many countries of the world, the match of the Cup's winner in the national calendar is conducted in the form of a face-to-face struggle. It is a good beginning to a good long-lasting football marathon in the national calendar. It is necessary to stress that for the first time we have a very well-developed direction. In the conditions of old tournament matches, the structure of match distribution based on spring-autumn, we knew the champion and the cup winner at the end of May, the champion – at the end of November. They met at different times. On May 9 the final of the Cup took place and now we have the champion and the Cup holder and already almost two moths later they are meeting in a face-to-face match. In a similar fashion, the present-day line-up of team members, having finished the championship, and the Cup winner will start participating in European championships' matches. In my opinion, it is an advantage. Concerning the history of the Cup, one can say that it hosts the meetings of our truly elite teams, winners of the Cup and holders of gold medals of the national championship. On the eve of this match, we are expecting - and huge organizational work has been already carried out by the Russian Football Club, by the Premier League – that a good introduction to the start of the football season will take place on July 14 in Samara. The idea to turn to the regions has been present in the Russian Football Club not only in regard to the Super Cup, but also to the National Cup. Therefore, the fact that our championships, the Super Cup and the National Cup are marching across the country certainly brings football benefits, helps popularize football, attract spectators, improve infrastructure, attract the attention of the authorities and increase the importance and status of football cities which are hosting our main tournaments and their finals. In this respect, I believe that the football holiday will succeed.
Sergei Cheban, executive director of the Russian Football Premier League
The match for the Russian Super Cup is a commercial tournament and we are happy that for a long time it has been increasing its potential as a commercial enterprise. This time did not become an exception. A serious ticket program has been developed. A large-scale draw is taking place. We would like to attract as many fans as possible to the stands and I believe we will succeed. I would like to say that the budget of the club - to be more precise the budget of this tournament - is constantly growing and we hope that, due to the fact that we are attracting investments, we will be able to offer a more versatile program for the fans as well as for the audience. This match, as you already know, will be broadcast by the First Channel. There has not been much on the First Channel recently and therefore we are very happy about. I believe that from a commercial perspective, this project will be successful. About 7,000 tickets have been sold. We are guided by the Samara figures and they believe that the dynamics are usually rather successful. You know that this time we have also actively used the internet in spreading information. In Saint Petersburg, in Kazan and elsewhere you can buy tickets. Everything is worked out in a way that allows the fans of a special club to buy tickets for the club's fans' section, etc. We are expecting a rather large number of fans. We are expecting up to 10,000 fans from Saint Petersburg, but not only from Saint Petersburg, because you know that regions also have fans and about 2,000, most optimistically 3,000 people will "land" from Kazan. In relation to the work conducted at the moment by the Russian Football Club, the Premier League and the Ministry for Sport and Tourism concerning the redistribution of responsibility for the event between organizers and law enforcement bodies… When we are saying that in the center of the stadium there would be specializ forces, as it is stated at the moment by the law, police will be located on the periphery and reserve forces will be located underneath the stands – this is the direction we are moving in. I hope that this championship will become transitory to the practice which will be gradually adopting. When a club is going to assess the risk level of a match, whether it is higher or lower based on historical factors and on the number of fans, it will coordinate with militia, excuse me with police, the map of distribution, the number of attracted forces to make it effective and to make it actually interesting. So that the stewards will fulfil the function they fulfil everywhere at stadiums. Samara is great and today we have placed a so-called offer for fans, which describes the price policy of the tickets, where they can be purchased, websites, booking offices, how to reach Samara, where to spend a night in Samara, all the suitable routes. That means that if a person decides to go to the Super match, he sees that he is welcome there. The average price of a ticket is 300 rubles. That is the average price. You understand, that due to the commerciality of the match, there is a VIP area, which costs several thousand depending on food, you know as usual, souvenirs, etc. We hope and we have talked with clubs and taken the decision, and this question is already decided: that they will sell their souvenirs there, etc. Certainly, when a person comes there, she emerges into a world of football and it is about souvenirs, music, etc. And we would like it indeed to become a holiday.
Alexander Meytin, Director of Security of the Russian Football Premier League
I have already said that at the center of the stadium there will be 500 workers. About a half of them will be employees of private security firms, they have been trained and have special licenses. They will act in the framework of the law on the Private Security. Regarding stewards, stewards are students, let's say drivers, workers who in their free time having signed agreements with the stadium or the club will work on certain days. Today we cannot say that they are trained so well that they do not require a strong control. At the moment we are instructing them and we already have programs of instruction. This year we are planning to enter the level when each steward will receive a certificate which would allow him to work as stewards in any club. Come and say that he wants to sign a contract and work at a certain match. This is the current algorithm. Today we instruct them, we have sent specialists who are working with the stewards. There will be certain instruction seminars, trainings and only later they will be placed on their working posts and will fulfill their duties according to the instructions they have received.
