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First tentatively announced mid-way through the second half of the season, the RPL rebrand is now underway – as the Russian Football Premier League becomes the Russian Premier Liga with the now well-known modern take on the traditional Russian bear. It is a key update from logo’s of the past; particularly the previous one which was essentially a logo for a Russian bank hardly known outside the nation, but also highly inspired by the cash-cow English Premier League.

The famous royal blue lion was eponymous the world over, now re-branded purple and without a sponsor, is still synonymous with the league world-over. This effort is both simple and effective, combining the white, blue and red of the national flag with a bear. Artemby Lebedev, head of the Moscow design studio who led the rebrand claims it is a “Russian bear with eyes burning with passion”. Although too now without a sponsor (dropping Rosgosstrakh), which will be an immediate loss of funding – the whole change is intended to improve the international image of the league.

The RFPL has officially rebranded to the Russian Premier Liga (RPL) and unveiled their new logo and designs, here’s the English version. pic.twitter.com/JNTKaxeM8Q — Russian Football News (@RusFootballNews) July 24, 2018

The RPL may be sixth in UEFA’s league coefficients but has always struggled for recognition, and crucially, international broadcasting rights. Domestically, the World Cup ignited much fervour for football throughout the nation and FNL attendances have taken a 50-100% increase across the board – with an incredible 30,000 fans in Volgograd for Rotor’s home opener against Luch. But, the RPL is hardly broadcast outside of Eastern Europe and is tenth in Europe for international viewing figures – thus tenth in recognition.

Even betting figures are very low in Russia and abroad. The RPL attracts the lowest betting numbers of all European powers, and Russian markets are only widely available on one or two sites in other countries on the continent. Very few sites offer a winner bookmaker review for the league and even less outright odds.

Rotor Volgograd find the back of the net in front of 30,000 fans at the Volgograd Arena yesterday, in their 1-0 win vs Luch. Amazing to hear such noise in a Russian 2nd tier match! 🎥: @FCLuch_VL pic.twitter.com/g39m7vw3C8 — Russian Football News (@RusFootballNews) July 23, 2018

The bear is a famous symbol in Russia – and was the mascot for the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Now, the RPL have followed their Soviet forebears in continuing the trend and hoping the rebrand can lead to a whole change of identity of football in the nation – at least on the surface. Ten new stadia spread across nine cities and a hope that hooliganism remains in the background is the league and government’s attempt at comprehensively creating a new identity for football. Using the success of the World Cup as a genuine festival of football and a political tool, these apparatchiks are attempting to replace the old (hooliganism, racism, poor football and poorer facilities) with the new. In a statement on the rebrand, the league claimed it was hoping to use the new brand to “help create entertaining, competitive and commercially successful” football.

However, not everything is always so simple – and hardly ever is in Russia. The league is still very problematic, troubled by financial problems stemming through a lack of TV money and a load of nationalisation, footballing problems due to constant short-term fixes and the lack of a true, universal academy system and social problems as somewhere in Siberia a giant metal door creaks open as hordes of hooligans and ultras return west with bleary eyes wondering what all the fuss of June-July was about.

Don’t get me wrong, this is a right step in the right direction, but the journey to reforming both the crises of the superficial and the elementary which plague football in the nation is long, arduous and wrought with key decisions that must be made correctly to truly make something of the legacy of the best World Cup to date.