Olympic champion Alexander Kozhevnikov has suddenly changed his rhetoric in statements about the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) after the disqualification of Russian goalkeeper Ivan Fedotov. The former athlete, who previously offered to spit on the verdict of the organization, now seriously fears for the fact that in this case the Russian Federation will not be able to hold even ordinary friendly matches.

This Kozhevnikov said in a commentary to the portal Championship.com, commenting on the sanctions against Russian hockey. He expressed confidence that the Russian Federation should not withdraw from the IIHF, otherwise this sport in the aggressor country will simply "begin to die out".

"The decisions being made are very strange, but nevertheless, we must never leave the IIHF. Otherwise, we won't get back there and we won't be able to play even with teams from non-hockey countries like Africa or Brazil. Hockey in our country will start to die out, players will leave the country, and it will not only affect adult players, but also children. Parents will not see the point of giving their children to hockey clubs," Kozhevnikov said.

. The very next month, the hockey player was detained and forcibly conscripted into the Russian army.

It is assumed that the athlete was sent to the Russian Armed Forces on purpose to prevent him from moving to an NHL club. At the same time, CSKA Moscow signed a parallel agreement with Ivan. The IIHF banned the Russian club from engaging in transfer policy for a year.

As reported by OBOZREVATEL, two-time Olympic champion Vyacheslav Fetisov threw a real tantrum over the disqualification of Ivan Fedotov, calling to "stick in one place" the decision of the IIHF. And coach Gennady Kurdin complained that the IIHF does not consider Russians for people.

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