With Admiral already out, KHL had two more teams facing uncertainty, just last week it looked like it might be the end of the road for them. Now Vitjaz Podolsk and Dinamo Riga have given hope that they will remain amongst teams that would hit the ice once the new season begins.
Vitjaz team has hit a wall financially and were looking for solutions on how to resume their tenure in the KHL. Per Sport-Express team still owes salaries to players and staff for three months however, the club has promised to clear their debts before July 25th. The team is also working on a new lease for their home arena but has had trouble getting a deal done. Vitjaz Ice Palace can host 5500 spectators.
Due to these issues, current staff and players are now facing salary reductions. All sides have been made aware that there will be changes in the budget and have agreed to reduce salaries by twenty percent so that team can continue playing in KHL. All contracts will be re-done.
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Meanwhile for Dinamo Riga rumors about ”not playing” are a non-issue. Although people tend to believe that team might be done and out – you have to be naive to believe so. Each summer team is late to sign sponsors, players, and coaches. This year? This year is no different but the whole process has taken longer than before and understandably so – Covid-19 obviously has caused issues for everyone involved.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel and Dinamo Riga is very close to inking new sponsorship deals, players, and coaching staff. The team is also expected to begin their training camp in the middle of July.
”We are working on contracts, we have our sponsors. Everything is moving ahead. We can’t be 100% sure about things up until the money comes into our bank accounts. We’re ready to go but until everything is official, I don’t think it’s right to comment on the situation.” Juris Savickis, Chairman of the club noted.
KHL season is a little less than two months away from starting and it finally looks like we are about to start getting more and more hockey in the coming weeks! KHL pre-season, NHL restart! What’s not to be happy about?
