"A flunky. Even a child understands": former Russian national team coach furious over IIHF decision on Israel

The former head coach of the Russian national team, Vladimir Plyushchev, was outraged by the admission of the Israeli national team to the World Junior Ice Hockey Championship. The Russian representative called it "someone's order," which allegedly indicates interference in sports by other structures.

Plyushchov said this in a commentary to the propaganda channel Russia Today. The winner of the 2002 World Youth Championship criticized the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and spoke insultingly of its president, Luc Tardif, calling him a "flunky."

"By allowing the Israeli team to participate in international competitions, the IIHF has once again proved that it is not an independent organization. And Luke Tardif is a flunky, like all the leaders of the organization. And there is no other way to call them. They act inconsistently: first they suspend you, and then they change their minds abruptly. Even a child who sometimes reads social media understands that if an organization makes a decision based on something and then cancels it six days later, it is someone's order. If the boss said it, it means it will happen. The one who pays orders the music," said Plyushchev.

As a reminder, on January 11, the IIHF announced that it had temporarily suspended Israeli national teams from its tournaments for security reasons.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, Olympic champion Dominik Hašek harshly criticized the National Hockey League (NHL) for allowing Russian athletes to play in the championship despite Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

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