The preliminary investigation into a criminal case against Valery Skorodumov, former general director of Moscow’s Torpedo, has been completed. He is accused of illegally influencing the outcomes of matches in the Russian Football National League (FNL) involving his club, according to Irina Volk, official representative of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Investigators allege that Skorodumov, together with the club’s owner and one employee, acted as an organized group and exerted unlawful influence on the results of 20 matches. To achieve this, they conspired with sports referees and transferred money to them.
As a result, 13 football referees assigned to First League matches during the 2024–2025 season received payments. The scheme’s goal was to secure Torpedo’s promotion to the Russian Premier League (RPL).
The bribes were contingent on a specific condition: Torpedo’s victory in the upcoming match. Payment amounts ranged from 500,000 to 3 million rubles, depending on the match’s significance. In some cases, additional payments of 250,000 to 500,000 rubles were made for awarding a penalty against the opponent or sending off an opposing player.
The criminal case, based on evidence of a crime under Part 2 of Article 184 of the Russian Criminal Code, has been sent to the Simonovsky District Court in Moscow for substantive review, with the prosecutor’s indictment approved. The maximum penalty under this article is up to seven years in prison.
