The 2011–12 Russian Premier League was the 20th season of the Russian football championship since the dissolution of the Soviet Union and 10th under the current Russian Premier League name. The season began on 12 March 2011. The last matches were played on 22 May 2012, as the league switched to an autumn-spring rhythm. Zenit were the defending champions, and managed to successfully defend their title.
Competition modus changes The 2011–12 season is a transitional season, as it will stretch over 18 months instead of the conventional 12 months. The unusual length of the season is the result of the decision to adapt the playing year to an autumn-spring rhythm similar to most of the other UEFA leagues.
The season will comprise two phases. The first phase will consist of a regular home-and-away schedule, meaning that each team will play the other teams twice for a total of 30 matches per team. The league will then be split into two groups for the second phase, where each team plays another home-and-away schedule against every other team of its respective group.
The top eight teams of the first phase will compete for the championship and the spots for both the 2012–13 Champions League and Europa League. Accordingly, the bottom eight teams will have to avoid relegation. The bottom two teams of this group will be directly relegated, while the 13th- and 14-placed teams will compete in a relegation/promotion playoff with the third- and fourth-placed teams of the 2011–12 National League Championship.
Teams Alania Vladikavkaz and Sibir Novosibirsk were relegated at the end of the 2010 season after finishing the season in the bottom two places. Both teams returned to the First Division, rechristened the National League Championship starting with the 2011–12 season, after just one year.
The relegated teams were replaced by 2010 First Division champions Kuban Krasnodar and runners-up Volga Nizhny Novgorod. Kuban made their immediate return to the Premier League, while Volga is playing their first season at the highest football level of Russia.
In further team changes, Saturn Moscow Oblast was forced to withdraw from the league due to financial reasons. The club did not return at any level of Russian football in the 2011–12 season, as the club was eventually disbanded after amassing debts of RUB 800m. Their former farm club, FC Saturn-2 Moscow Oblast, participates in the Russian Second Division in 2011. Amkar Perm, who originally requested to withdraw as well, revoked this request on 24 January 2011.
In a meeting on 25 January 2011, an extraordinary general meeting of Premier League clubs decided to replace Saturn with FC Krasnodar, the fifth-placed team from the 2010 First Division. Similar to Volga Nizhny Novgorod, Krasnodar made their debut at the Premier League.
TeamLocationHead coachTeam captainVenueCapacity2010Kit MakerShirt SponsorPerm Miodrag Božović Dmitri BelorukovZvezda19,500PumaMakhachkala Guus Hiddink Samuel Eto'oDynamo16,863adidasPodari ZhiznMoscow Leonid Slutsky Igor AkinfeevLuzhniki78,360ReebokBashneftMoscow Sergei Silkin Andriy VoroninArena Khimki20,000adidasVTBKrasnodar Slavoljub Muslin Aleksandr AmisulashviliKuban35,200KappaHome Credit BankSamara Andrei Kobelev Ivan TaranovMetallurg33,001UmbroVolgospetsstroyKrasnodar Dan Petrescu ZelãoKuban35,200NikeRGMKMoscow José Couceiro Dmitri LoskovLokomotiv (Moscow)28,810PumaRZDRostov-on-Don Anatoly Baidachny Roman AdamovOlimp-215,842Puma/JomaKazan Kurban Berdyev Roman SharonovCentral Stadium27,434UmbroTAIFMoscow Valeri Karpin Sergei ParshivlyukLuzhniki78,360NikeLukoilNalchik Timur Shipshev (caretaker) Miodrag DžudovićSpartak14,194UmbroSindikaGrozny Stanislav Cherchesov Rizvan UtsiyevTerek Stadium30,000adidasFond Akhmad KadyrovTomsk Sergei Perednya Denis BoyarintsevTrud14,950adidasRosneftNizhny Novgorod Dmitri Cheryshev Aleksandr BelozyorovLokomotiv (Nizhny Novgorod)17,856PumaMRSKSt. Petersburg Luciano Spalletti Vyacheslav MalafeevPetrovskiy21,570NikeGazprom
Managerial changes TeamOutgoingMannerDateTableIncomingDateTableKrasnodar Sergei Tashuyevmutual consensus7 November 20105th (D1) Slavoljub Muslin28 December 2010pre-seasonSpartak Nalchik Yuri Krasnozhanend of contract29 November 20106th Vladimir Eshtrekov3 December 2010pre-seasonLokomotiv Yuri Seminsacked1 December 20105th Yuri Krasnozhan14 December 2010pre-seasonTerek Anatoly Baidachnycontract expired22 December 201012th Víctor Muñoz22 December 2010pre-seasonTerek Víctor Muñozmutual consensus15 January 2011pre-season Ruud Gullit18 January 2011pre-seasonDynamo Moscow Miodrag Božovićmutual consent21 April 20119th Sergei Silkin21 April 20119thRostov Oleh Protasov resigned13 May 201112th Volodymyr Lyutyi (caretaker)13 May 201112thLokomotiv Yuri Krasnozhan sacked6 June 20115th Vladimir Maminov (caretaker)7 June 20115thTerek Ruud Gullitsacked14 June 201114th Isa Baytiyev (caretaker)15 June 201114thSpartak Nalchik Vladimir Eshtrekovsacked15 June 201116th Sergei Tashuyev16 June 201116thVolga Omari Tetradzesacked16 June 201112th Dmitri Cheryshev16 June 201112thRostov Volodymyr Lyutyi (caretaker)sacked 20 June 201114th Andrei Talalayev (caretaker)20 June 201114thKrylia Sovetov Aleksandr Tarkhanovsacked 28 June 201116th Andrei Kobelev30 June 201116thRostov Andrei Talalayev (caretaker)caretaking spell over1 July 201114th Sergei Balakhnin1 July 201114thLokomotiv Vladimir Maminov (caretaker)caretaking spell over1 July 20118th José Couceiro1 July 20118thTom Valeri Nepomniachiresigned19 September 201114th Vasili Baskakov (caretaker)19 September 201114thTom Vasili Baskakov (caretaker)caretaking spell over27 September 201114th Sergei Perednya (caretaker)27 September 201114thTerek Isa Baytiyev (caretaker)caretaking spell over27 September 201111th Stanislav Cherchesov27 September 201111thAmkar Rashid Rakhimovsacked27 September 201113th Miodrag Božović29 September 201113thAnzhi Gadzhi Gadzhiyevsacked29 September 20117th Andrei Gordeyev (caretaker)29 September 20118thAnzhi Andrei Gordeyev (caretaker)caretaking spell over27 December 20118th Yuri Krasnozhan27 December 20118thAnzhi Yuri Krasnozhanresigned13 February 20128th Andrei Gordeyev (caretaker)13 February 20128thAnzhi Andrei Gordeyev (caretaker)caretaking spell over17 February 20128th Guus Hiddink17 February 20128thSpartak Nalchik Sergei Tashuyevresigned7 April 201216th Timur Shipshev (caretaker)7 April 201216thRostov Sergei Balakhninsacked18 April 201212th Anatoly Baidachny18 April 201212th
Season events
Grigoryev affair In early 2011, the contracts of three young FC Spartak Moscow players (Maksim Grigoryev, Dmitri Malyaka and Yevgeni Filippov) expired, and they decided to switch to FC Rostov. According to Russian football regulations, when a player under 23 years of age who was raised in the club system transfers to a different club after his contract expires, his old club is due compensation from his new club. If the new club plays on the third level (Russian Second Division), the compensation is the player's 5 previous years' salary multiplied by 1, if his new club is in the National League Championship, it's multiplied by 2 and if it's a Russian Premier League club, it's multiplied by 3. The three players signed with a Russian Second Division team FC MITOS Novocherkassk who immediately loaned them to the Russian Premier League team FC Rostov. Spartak lodged a complaint with the Russian Football Union, claiming this was not a fair transfer as the only reason for it was to lower the compensation that FC Rostov was due to pay Spartak. After the protest was declined on 29 March 2011, Grigoryev was registered for FC Rostov and scored a goal on his debut against FC Lokomotiv Moscow on 2 April 2011, the game ended with a score of 1–1. FC Lokomotiv's president, Olga Smorodskaya, filed a complaint with the Russian Football Union and Premier League, claiming Grigoryev was not eligible to be registered and play for FC Rostov. Before the protest was heard, Grigoryev scored a goal in Rostov's 2–1 victory over FC Dynamo Moscow in the 2010–11 Russian Cup quarterfinal. The protest was heard by the RFU's Dispute Resolution Chamber on 21 April 2011. Smorodskaya insisted that FC MITOS did not have the transfer certificate from Spartak in their possession before the transfer deadline and therefore could not have legally registered Grigoryev. The protest was declined as, according to the league, Grigoryev et al. were registered with RFPL before the transfer deadline, even though they were not included on the official rosters on the league's website or in any other sources. The official league website actually still lists the date of their registration as 1 April. In another twist, in January 2012, Lokomotiv signed Grigoryev from FC MITOS. In March 2012, Court of Arbitration for Sport began considering Grigoryev's case. CAS made their decision in May 2012, denying Lokomotiv's appeal.
Zenit St. Petersburg - CSKA affair According to the league regulations, every team has to put at least one player with a Russian citizenship born in 1990 or later on their game roster in every game (even if the player in question stays on the bench). If there is no such player or players, the team guilty is punished by the victory being awarded to their opponent and a fine. In the game against PFC CSKA Moscow on 10 April 2011, Zenit St. Petersburg did not have such a player in their lineup (the game ended in 1–1 draw). The youngest player was born in 1989. After the game, Russian Football Union president Sergei Fursenko said that Zenit would likely be awarded a defeat for breaking the regulations. Zenit manager Luciano Spalletti said after the game that they did this intentionally, as they were told it is punishable by a fine only, and the team was ready to pay the fine. They have done the same thing in the 2010 season and fine was the only punishment. However, the regulations were updated in December 2010, and the current exact language of Article 109 of the Disciplinary Regulations of the RFU states it is punishable by "a defeat awarded and a fine", not "a defeat awarded or a fine". Zenit was awarded a defeat by the RFU on 13 April. Zenit removed Vladislav Radimov, who as team director was responsible for filing the game roster with the league, from his position to the reserve team's assistant coach position, with a reduction in salary. Zenit's lawyer was punished by the club by having his bonus cancelled.
Following the RFU decision, the Premier League further decided that the goals scored by Mark González and Konstantin Zyryanov would not count for their scoring totals, but the yellow cards received in the game would count for disciplinary purposes.
Dejan Radić and Sergei Narubin injuries
On 23 April 2011 during a FC Rostov - FC Terek Grozny game, Rostov goalkeeper Dejan Radić collided with Terek's Zaur Sadayev fighting for a high ball. He had to be rushed into the hospital and after it was discovered that his kidney is seriously injured, he had to undergo nephrectomy (surgical removal of a kidney). His club, FC Rostov, announced that he will continue to receive all the bonuses he would have received if he was able to play as a starter during the time of his recovery. Former Russian international Valeri Minko, who played more than 200 games after undergoing nephrectomy himself after an in-game collision, said he expects Radić to fully recover and play again. Despite Rostov's initial promises, Radić stopped getting paid by Rostov in June 2011 and have not received any money stipulated in his contract from that time until March 2012. Terek and Chechnya's president Ramzan Kadyrov have paid him $50,000 as a goodwill gesture.
On 21 May 2011 FC Amkar Perm goalkeeper Sergei Narubin was seriously injured in a collision with FC Rostov's Kornel Saláta. He had to undergo splenectomy (surgical removal of the spleen).
Tom Tomsk futility record