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Yaroslavl Politicians in Soccer Row
The Shinnik soccer team of Yaroslavl is currently ninth rated in Russia. After it had financial problems this year, Yaroslavl Region Governor Anatoly Lisitsyn found an anonymous sponsor for the team (rumored to be Boris Abramovich). The future sponsor, however, place the condition on his largesse that team president Nikolay Tonkov be removed. Tonkov, in addition to being the president of the soccer team, is a member of the Federation Council, vice president of the Russian Union of Entrepreneurs and Industrialists and head of the regional division of the United Russia Party. Lisitsyn offered Tonkov 65 million rubles from the regional budget for the rights to the team, but his offer was refused. Tonkov wanted $6.5 million.
The conflict became public knowledge and was discussed in the regional Duma on Tuesday. Director of the department of financial control Nina Ryzhkova stated that 400 million rubles had been invested in the team by the city and region of Yaroslavl in the last four and a half years. Tonkov stated that he has been searching for a purchaser for the team for the last three years, unsuccessfully. After the discussion became more heated, it was suggested that Tonkov was not suitable to represent the region in the Federation Council. Tonkov reminded the regional deputies that they no longer have the right to designate their Federation Council representative. Lisitsyn suggested establishing a conciliation commission to handle the issue.
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All the Article in Russian as of Nov. 30, 2005
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