CSKA does not need any special «help»

I believe it would be appropriate for me to offer a short comment on the recent developments in Russian basketball. And by that I mean the referee scandal, of course. It’s definitely too early to tell what’s true and what’s not in regard to that situation, but one can’t help noticing that Russia differs from all major basketball nations in Europe (like Italy, Greece or Spain) most of which have Leagues that are totally independent from the respective Federations. At the same time, the system of referees’ appointment varies from one country to another. Like, in Spain all matters concerning refereeing are coordinated by the League itself, quite similar to how it’s done in the NBA. At the same time, in Italy referees are managed by the Federation, even though the professional League, as I’ve said, is independent from FIP. So, there’s no ideal solution or model to follow. What’s certain, though, is that Russian system where both the League and Federation are run by the same person is unheard of in Europe.

One more thing I’d like to add is that over my 4-year span with CSKA, teams that were loosing to us were always quick to cry out loud and issue complaints about refereeing. My answer to those will always be the same: CSKA has won 2 Euroleague titles and has been to the Final Four 4 times (8 if you consider what happened before and after my stint with the club). Therefore, I don’t think we would’ve needed any special “help” from corrupted referees to dominate in the Superleague.