Russian TV soccer pundit silenced
Taken off air after mentioning Putin’s top rival
Russia’s former national soccer coach, Leonid Slutsky, broke an unwritten rule of working on state television when he mentioned President Vladimir Putin’s main political foe, Alexey Navalny, by name live on air during a World Cup match commentary.
Now he’s off the team of Channel One’s tournament pundits.
Slutsky made the taboo remark in current champion Germany’s game against Mexico on Sunday, after match commentator Kirill Dementyev used an obscure homonym of the opposition leader’s name to say the Germans should play “high-pressure soccer” to try to overcome a 1-0 losing score.
Slutsky responded with a quip asking if Navalny plays soccer, adding: “That would be interesting to see.”
Dementyev didn’t reply on air to the comment.
On Tuesday, after the Russian team all but guaranteed qualification for the World Cup’s next round with a 3-1 defeat of Egypt, Slutsky announced he’ll no longer be offering commentary for the country’s mostwatched channel.
He explained he was leaving to pursue other activities.
Channel One said later Slutsky’s exit was due to his responsibilities with the Dutch team SBV Vitesse, where he’s due to take up the post of head coach, Interfax reported, citing a spokesman.
Navalny, who was barred from running against Putin in presidential elections in March, tweeted on Wednesday he was “very sorry” to hear about Slutsky’s departure.
Putin has consistently refused to mention Navalny by name in interviews and news conferences, sometimes referring to him instead as “that character.”
The Kremlin’s determined to present to the world a friendlier, more open image of Russia after years of international political tensions.
State television remains tightly controlled, however, at a time when the soccer tournament offers a rare opportunity to persuade younger Russians to tune in.
They’re more used to getting information from social media such as YouTube and Twitter, where Navalny has 2.2 million followers.
LEONID SLUTSKY (SAID) HE WAS LEAVING TO PURSUE OTHER ACTIVITIES.