Former President of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) René Fasel in an interview with , he said that the current head of the organization, Luc Tardif, is under pressure from European hockey federations.
Fasel, confirmed in September as head of the KHL refereeing expert committee, was head of the IIHF from 1994 to 2021. After leaving this position, he was replaced by Luc Tardif. At the moment, Russian teams are not allowed to participate in international tournaments due to the situation in Ukraine.
— Today, the head of the IIHF, Luc Tardif, is presented in the Russian press as a villain. You worked with him for many years. Is he really so terrible?
“Unfortunately, sport is becoming more and more involved in politics. I imagine the pressure many national federations are under from their governments. Politics and money now have a huge impact on sports. And I also easily imagine that Luke is under pressure from several sides at once. For example, we know what the position of the Baltic countries and a number of Western countries is.
The International Hockey Federation is more or less dependent on European federations, which can influence a number of issues, and this affects world hockey. In any case, I hope that at the next IIHF council, a solution will be found regarding the return of Russia and Belarus.
Understand that sport should bring people together. Sport is peace, sport is dialogue. Sport brings countries together, it does not divide them. Friendship, mutual respect, competence, honesty, fearlessness. All this can become the motto of sporting events. And I hope that we will all adhere to sporting ideals and not political tendencies. And that the IIHF will eventually find a fundamental solution to bring Russia and Belarus back to the international stage – to the World Championships and the Olympics, Fasel told .
Source : MatchTV
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