Zenit ex-coach calls for "end to this meaningless war" as it crushed Russian football

Former coach of Zenit St. Petersburg Vlastimil Petržela assessed the state of Russian football, noting its complete downfall. The Czech specialist named the main reason for this the suspension of Russian teams from international tournaments and called for "end of this meaningless war."

Petržela said this in an interview with VseProSport. The coach, who first made Zenit the vice-champion of Russia, added that without European continental tournaments, viewers lose interest in football. The same applies to the players themselves, who are deprived of motivation.

"Is this the downfall of Russian football? Yes, because no European Cups are held there, which is a big loss. You can see it. For example, in the Czech Republic, you can see that teams play in European competitions, for example, Slavia is in the Champions League. Football stadiums are full. This has never happened before. This is because they play in the European championships, it's very good, wonderful. Fans are coming. There are no empty seats at the stadium. Nobody is interested in football in Russia because there are no big championships, and players who want to play there and prove themselves cannot do so. This is a problem. We need to end this meaningless war," Petržela said.

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