We saw the new Amkar: it is looking for Indian sponsors and wants to refuse state funding

Yuri Semin and Alexander Aksenov arrived in Perm.

Yuri Semin and Alexander Aksenov continue their journey across Russia – this time they visited Perm. They came to see the updated Amkar – it is gradually being revived: they are looking for Indian (!) sponsors and do not want to depend on the state.

A new episode of the series “Palych Was Here” is in the PREMIER online cinema – we have collected the brightest of it.

Amkar revived in 2020 – and now they want to break the stereotype about state funding

In 2018, Amkar retained its place in the RPL, but the Perm authorities decided to disband it anyway. Having learned about this, the fans organized a rally – according to Alexei Brasilets, who has been supporting the club for a long time, more than 100 people gathered: “I think that the fans fought back then.”

After 2 years the club was revived. “People used to confuse Perm with Penza until Amkar appeared as a bright Perm brand. We have almost all the fans back this year – 350 people. And now I have one task – the first place in the Premier League, ”says Valery Chuprakov, president of the updated Amkar.

Over time, the club wants to become self-supporting. “We work in all areas: advertising, production, SMM, broadcasts, etc. Everything must be at the highest level. We have examples in the First League when one person does everything: from video to massage. There is no such thing in our club, ”explained Andrey Blaginykh, head of the club development department.

Amkar development director Vyacheslav Kislitsyn added details: according to him, only 10% of the club’s budget consists of public money. Companies that invest get promotional services – but most of the current sponsors just love football. Negotiations are still underway with the bookmaker.

“This year we want to close the budget of 220 million. If it works out, it will be good. If we talk about big tasks, we want to find a partner and sponsor from another country, specifically from India. [We expect to receive] about 300 million for the season,” says Kislitsyn.

Semin and Aksenov visited the Second League match – Amkar played with Orenburg-2. Yuriy Palych took the microphone and announced the squads for the match – and the guests had already scored at that time. “Amkar” missed 3 in the first half, but in the end pulled out a draw – 3:3.

Who coaches Amkar: in the 90s they crushed the phalanx of his finger, and in the 00s they burned the car after the match with Rubin

The Perm club is coached by Rustem Khuzin – he was born in Kazan, but he is more remembered for playing for Amkar: he was the captain, played more than 150 matches.

• First, Khuzin remembered the dashing 90s.

I couldn’t go to the other street to shop without my parents. All my friends are already in the grave: some were killed, some were sent to the next world by drugs. If it wasn’t for football, I don’t know where I was now.

– How close to you did all this grouping history get?

– Very close. I myself was in the group. They guarded the street, fought – and strangers were not allowed in, and they themselves went to foreign territories. Disco fights. It was very scary – a fight 30 to 30, 40 to 40, with rebars.

He only managed to close his head and the phalanx of the finger was simply crushed into pieces. I didn’t cover my head with my hand – probably there would be a hole in my head. [I was] given an artificial phalanx.

• In 2003, Khuzin already played for Amkar – and after the match with Rubin, his car was even set on fire. The coach himself talks about the causes of the incident:

“We were offered to hand over the game. I naturally refused. For me, the game with Rubin is fundamental – I moved from there to Amkar. I came to the stadium, I told the head coach: “There was an exit for me.” We beat them 3-0.

Then Rustem returned to Perm and realized that he was left without a car: “A guard came and said: “The trouble happened. Look out the window.” I look, there are 2 cars on fire here: one is mine, and the other is a player of our team, also from Kazan. And they came to him too.

• Konstantin Genich’s goal against Fakel took Amkar to the RPL – it was 2003 then, here’s Khuzin’s great story from that time.

“One fine day, a training session was scheduled. And we lost the match the day before – it was the year when we went to the Premier League. We lost the first five rounds. The team is in the last-penultimate place. And the coach tells us: “Guys, tomorrow we are going to training.”

And the guys and I decided to unite – we went and everyone swelled up. And I’m the team captain. I called the director of the club and said: “Today the team will not come to training, we are all drunk.” A day later, we came, trained very well, won the next match and never lost again,” Khuzin says.

Or maybe remember the history of “Amkar”?

Permians have an official blog (be sure to check it out!) – here is a fragment of their text:

Amkar appeared in 1993 as a factory team of the Perm enterprise Mineral Fertilizers. The name comes from a combination of the words “ammonia” and “carbamide” – these substances were the main products of the plant. The basis of the team was the employees of the enterprise, and the red and black colors appeared thanks to the trade partners of the plant from Milan.

In 1995, the club received professional status and got into the third division: in one season it reached the second, and in 1998 – the first. In 2003, Amkar entered the Premier League, from which they have never been relegated.

Amkar’s main achievements are fourth place in the 2008 season and the Russian Cup final against CSKA in the same year. Thanks to the fourth place, the club got the opportunity to play in the Europa League: in the qualification on aggregate, Amkar lost to the future finalist of the tournament Fulham with a score of 2:3.

For several years, the club was financially unstable (there was not even a title sponsor on the uniform, except for the Perm Territory), despite good performance in the Premier League and the status of an inconvenient team for many tops. For example, Dzyuba spoke about this:

“Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi would not have scored more than 20 goals in a season in the Russian championship. They will arrive in Perm at -30 and will be stunned. And there is also Belorukov (central defender, played for Amkar for 12 years).”

Due to debts, the irreversible began:

• At the end of the 2017/18 season, the RFU withdrew the club’s license.

• The region refused to cover all debts and stopped funding the team.

• In the summer, Amkar was liquidated as an organization.

Now in Perm they are trying to return everything.

They reinvented Amkar. Here is a detailed story of how the brand is built

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