Chief Referee of the KHL Alexey Anisimov believes that the International Hockey Federation (IIHF) should return to the practice of appointing Russian referees for matches at international tournaments.
At the end of March, the IIHF extended the suspension of Russia and Belarus from international tournaments for the 2023/24 season.
— What do our judges think of the impossibility of refereeing international matches today? Not calmly, but philosophically. Another question is how we differ from other sports. The level of our national championship is such that at the world championships, methodologically, our referees will not raise their level. It is simply an exchange of experiences and an opportunity to learn in an international environment.
If we talk about money… Previously, if you go back to the 90s, when they paid in foreign currencies, then there was a lot of money in the exchange rate difference. Now the story is that when the national teams of Russia and Belarus stopped playing at the World Championships and other teams were added in their place, the level of the tournament dropped significantly. I will never speak ill of my colleagues. You will see and evaluate for yourself the level of the tournament and the level of refereeing.
Therefore, our referees take this calmly and understand that sooner or later we will return there. Another question is when and what generation will return to it. There, everything is brought back to the Olympic cycle. Before we were cut off from international tournaments, our referees went there and received excellent marks. And they relied heavily on them. And from what I understand, the International Hockey Federation has always stated that judges do not belong to countries. Even if you face a certain country, the judge is the same in Africa. What difference does it make which country he is from?
Even in football, over time, they came to the conclusion that a Muscovite could referee in Moscow. In the KHL, this has been a habit for a long time. The judge is a professional and his place of registration does not affect the quality of his work. Therefore, I believe the first step would be to allow our judges to participate in the world championships. “I don’t see any problem with that, especially since it’s an IIHF panel of judges,” Anisimov said at the Championship.
Championship
Source : MatchTV
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