|
KHL president Alexei Morozov talks KHL's future |
|
|
|
|
|
Follow me for KHL/IIHF/NHL hockey coverage
The president of KHL - Alexei Morozov in his short tenure has addressed media and fans more than the previous presidents combined, and it's good to finally hear from the ''chief'' himself.
Morozov went on to talk about the plans for the next season.
''Admiral unfortunately for us has withdrawn, but all the other teams, including the ones that were reported by media to potentially have issues traveling due to covid-19 we have already talked to. All of them have confirmed to be ready for 2020/2021 season. We're preparing to begin our season in September, but of course all of that depends on the situation with the global pandemic.'' he said in a statement.
Although he has named the teams and a potential month for the start of the season there still is loads of uncertainty.
''Nobody can tell us what's gonna happen tomorrow. You have to look at the pandemic and it's development in Moscow as well as the other regions of Russia. We're following the situation and we will due or part to make the decisions. I really hope that this will come to an end very soon and that we won't be forced to move or postpone anything. Hopefully the teams will be able to return from their summer vacations on time. However there's still time to evaluate these things.'' he added.
Morozov also stated that they won't be looking for a replacement for the Vladivostok Admiral team - ''Given the situation there is no point of even talking about it. Nobody understands what is going to happen in the world but in future - we have a plan, we'll stick to our development strategy. Each year the participating teams are decided by the board. If it will vote ''for'', then Admiral will be allowed to return whenever they are ready.''
''To be honest it was unexpected that Admiral decided to withdraw. We spoke to their executives, we tried to find solutions on how to help and save the team. From our point of view - we did everything we could, but the governor's decision to pull the funds was the final straw. We do understand the Admiral organization and it's very painful to lose a club. They are an original team with character, incredible fans. This year will be hard for everyone in everything, not only sports or hockey alone. Hopefully that during their away time the Admiral organization will be able to develop their young players.'' he added.
Join the Discussion:
»