On 22 December, the final RPL General Meeting in 2021 was held. At the meeting, the leaders of the RPL and clubs discussed the following topics.

Bookmakers’ tender

RPL President Ashot Khachaturyants announced to the participants that the League will hold a tender among bookmakers for the right to become the main betting partner. The competition will consist of two stages, and at both stages the current partner Liga Stavok BC will have the right to improve the highest offer of competitors by a percentage fixed by the regulations.

Distribution of expenses and income between clubs

The General Meeting has streamlined all previously adopted decisions on the distribution of expenses and income for the 2021/22 season. This list includes income from the sale of broadcast and commercial rights, the costs of financing the VAR system, the development of the RPL calendar, technical support for the electronic competition management information system and other agreed expenses.

Budget deficit of AFC RPL

At the meeting, the leadership of the RPL announced the main reasons why the budget deficit of the organization was formed: these are payments to retired and outgoing employees, including vacation compensation, as well as necessary investments in the IT infrastructure of the RPL.

The league offered to pay off the deficit with the clubs' funds in equal shares, while the RPL will compensate for these payments in the future. The participants of the meeting voted unanimously for this compensation option.

RPL matchday 22 dates

At the previous meeting on 22 November, the General Meeting supported the RFU's proposal to postpone RPL matchday 22 from March to help the Russian national team prepare for 2022 World Cup play-offs. Of all the proposed options, the clubs by a majority of votes chose to postpone the matchday to 3-5 May.

Amendments to the RFU Dispute Resolution Regulations

As at the meeting on 22 November, the clubs discussed an amendment allowing to postpone the ban on the registration of players until the issue is considered by all authorities. The leaders agreed that the proposed changes are aimed at improving the dispute resolution system in the Dispute Resolution Chamber and the Players' Status Committee, and the purpose of the amendments is to exclude interim measures as an unconditional measure and apply it in exceptional cases.

The proposal was approved by a majority vote. The current appeal on behalf of the RPL will be transmitted to the RFU.

Integration of the National Center for Sports Arbitration

The clubs generally supported the RFU's proposal to introduce an arbitration court into the dispute resolution system - the National Center for Sports Arbitration - and make appropriate changes to the necessary regulations (RFU Rules for Dispute Resolution, RFU Rules on the Status and Transitions of Football Players, RFU Disciplinary Regulations).

The final decision on this issue will be made by the RFU. The participants agreed that the appearance of the National Center for Sports Arbitration in the football system will speed up the consideration of disputes.