Russia "is poised to embark" on a program of football reform in a bid to improve the standard and competitiveness of its national team and club sides in advance of the 2018 World Cup, according to Paul Nicholson of INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL. The proposals include quotas on overseas players -- called legionnaires in the draft bill -- "as well as regulation of how clubs spend their cash." Former Russian coach Valeriy Gaazaev presented a far reaching program of football reform titled "Football Russia. Time of changes." Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said that "a bill regulating the number of foreign players competing in Russian sports clubs had been drafted." Proposals (the law covers all sports) "would create the introduction of obligatory criteria for foreign players, including their athletic qualification, age, period of permanent stay in Russia as well as their period of training in Russia and results achieved while competing for Russian sports clubs." The bill "will be submitted to the Russian parliament's lower house, the State Duma, this autumn and may be possibly passed in the final reading next spring" (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 8/28).
