Tula Sports Ministry: All AKM Teams Will Keep Playing
Tula Region's Ministry of Sport says every AKM team and the hockey academy will carry on, after reports the club would withdraw from the VHL and MHL on 26 September.
The Ministry of Sport of the Tula Region has confirmed that all teams within the AKM system will continue to compete and that the club's hockey academy will operate normally.
The statement answers a claim by the journalist Alexey Shevchenko, who said that three professional teams from Tula would cease to exist on 28 September for lack of funding. It was also reported that AKM had written to the Olimpbet VHL and Olimpbet MHL asking for its teams to be withdrawn from 26 September.
The ministry said in its statement: "All the club's teams will continue to take part in the competitions, and the hockey academy will also work as usual. The government of the Tula Region is in constant contact with the club's management. There is an understanding of the next steps that will allow stable operation of the whole AKM system. Hockey is loved in the Tula Region, AKM has many fans, and hundreds of children train at the academy. So it is important to preserve both the professional teams and the system for training young players. There is no cause for concern."
The statement does not say whether AKM has withdrawn or will withdraw its letters to the two leagues, or where the funding will come from.
If the "next steps" the ministry mentions are settled before 26 September, the withdrawal request may become moot. If they are not, the leagues will have to rule on a request that the region's government says should not be acted on.
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