“When did it all go wrong with Match TV? I think it all went wrong from the very beginning. The very act of creating Match is a link in the chain of political decisions and events towards the closure of our society We just didn’t take it like that right away We thought that creating “Match” was the fulfillment of a promise made to our team, which was involved in the RPL, to reach a new level coverage of Russian football.
I have been to meetings several times where they have said that Russian football should be covered much more violently and voluminous. In response, we modestly said that it would be nice to cover football in a stormy and voluminous way with a more decent salary. We were told, “It certainly will be.” And they added aside: “In seven years.”
And when NTV Plus and Rossiya 2 merged in 2015, we received a pay rise for the first time in many years of promises. We got real money for the first time. Not exceptional by European standards, but normal.
Commentator Shmurnov left Match TV
They set to work, but over time it turned out that the idea of the merger was different: yes, to use the best strengths, to promote Russian football in one way or another, but at the same time build a sporting monopoly, which will be one of the political points of support. Because sport is a very good tool to disperse the emotions of imperial politics.
And for a long time we did not understand what was really going on. Perhaps in 2015 the task of making the channel another political springboard did not ring true, but politics have changed so much that it has taken Match with it. And sport has also turned into propaganda. Nothing but “ours, ours, ours” and “ours is the best”.
It seems to me that the starting point was even 2007, when Russia received the Olympics in Sochi. Then the feeling began to thicken that it was necessary to return to the Soviet format, when sport was an instrument of politics. Yes, sport can’t be completely out of politics, but it should contain 15-20% of politics, not 90%,” Shmurnov told Sports.ru.
Source: Sport
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
