Apparently, the Continental Hockey League (KHL) seems to be completely indifferent to the sanctions imposed by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) in the case of Ivan Fedotov, as the goalkeeper wore his uniform in CSKA Moscow’s opening game of the season. Friday.
Even though the IIHF punished the 26-year-old athlete in mid-August, who received a ban from all national and international matches valid from September 1st to December 31st, he was on the ice in the duel against the Ak-Bars from Kazan. Fedotov had previously signed a two-year contract with the Moscow team, although his one-year contract was initialed in 2022 with the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). The association decided a few weeks ago that the pact made with the Pennsylvania organization was valid.
• Also read: Ivan Fedotov: The IIHF agrees with the Flyers
However, KHL big boss Alexei Morozov has a different take on the situation, even though he indicated on Monday that the goaltender won’t play this week. He will therefore have the opportunity to defend the cage of his Russian team until December 31st.
“CSKA submitted a request for the match, which Fedotov also took part in. The KHL accepted this and he will take part in the game today [vendredi], he said, as reported by the media RIA News. The league and CSKA disagree with the IIHF’s decision, which restricts Russians’ right to work. We live by the laws of the Russian Federation, do not violate the rules of the IIHF and continue to follow our transfer policies.
Other sanctions
The IIHF immediately responded to this situation by referring Fedotov to its disciplinary board for exceeding the federation’s decision. The nature of the impending sanctions was not further explained.
The association also punished CSKA with a one-year ban on international transfers. The Russian federation was also fined 5,000 Swiss francs ($7,673 Canadian) for “allowing a player to play without a transfer permit.”
If Fedotov continues to play for CSKA, further sanctions could be imposed, the IIHF threatened.