The Russian Premier League "has suffered from falling attendances since changing its calendar six years ago as freezing conditions and a lack of indoor stadiums make life uncomfortable" for fans and players, according to Dmitriy Rogovitskiy of REUTERS. The winter break "therefore cannot come soon enough for a league which goes into hibernation for three months on Dec. 5" with temperatures having plummeted below zero. There have been calls for a return to the "spring-autumn" system that was jettisoned in '10 from the current "autumn-spring" arrangement but not from Russian Football Union honorary President Vyacheslav Koloskov. He said, "This would be laughed at around the world. The new system is more progressive than 'spring-autumn' as it is adapted to the European and world standards. However, it does have its faults." He added that the key to improving the popularity of the sport at the home of the 2018 World Cup host is to "improve the infrastructure, especially the provision of indoor facilities." Koloskov: "There should be only one decision and that is to build the necessary infrastructure around the country, especially in the Urals and Siberia where the winters are particularly harsh." He added, "Spectators should not have to sit in the snow wearing fur coats and warm gloves. At the turn of the millennium when I headed the RFU, we forced the clubs to install undersoil heating, have individual seats and create conditions for the press and television. ... Unfortunately, none of this has been done" (REUTERS, 11/30).
