Dmitry Chernyshenko

© Anton novoderezhkin/TASS

MOSCOW, March 25. /Offset. TASS Rustam Sharafutdinov/. The clubs of the Continental hockey League (KHL) does not intend to participate in the Champions League and at no point during the competition. This was announced by KHL President Dmitry Chernyshenko, whose word brings the press service of the League.

“It is puzzling that the leadership of the Champions League continues to declare its readiness to include the clubs in the KHL in the number of participants in your tournament , promising them benefits. It just creates unnecessary hype and questions from the media, despite the fact that the KHL has repeatedly voiced its position on this issue – said Chernyshenko. – Participation in the Champions League does not bring much benefit to the KHL and will become an additional burden. The KHL clubs are not going to participate in the Champions League in any of the stages of this tournament.”

Earlier, the Council of the tournament announced that it wants to provide two invitations to the clubs in the KHL to participate in the playoffs of the Champions League, this can happen after the signing of the agreement until the end of April. The last time the clubs in the KHL played in the tournament in the 2008/09 season. Russia was represented by “metallurg” (Magnitogorsk) and “Salavat Yulaev”. Metallurg in the finals of the tournament lost to Swiss “Zurich”.

Chernyshenko added that the League will consider applications for membership from new clubs, including European and Asian.

“The KHL is the strongest League on the Eurasian continent, successful in sports, financial, organizational and other aspects of the project. Now we are considering several applications from new clubs, – said Chernyshenko. – The desire to become participants of championship KHL Express both European and Asian clubs. The main criterion is the level of skill of the players and financial stability data requirements for the development strategy of the League”.

Currently in the KHL are seven foreign clubs. In December Chernyshenko announced that the League will continue its spread in Europe and Asia. The new club of the KHL in this season has become Beijing “Kunlun Red star”.

See also

The Board of Directors of the hockey Champions League is willing to give two quota clubs of the KHL to participate in the playoffs

“Metallurg” beat “AK bars” in the first match of the 1/2 final play-offs