In an interview with Armenian News-NEWS.am correspondent Vera Martirosyan, General Director of CSKA Moscow Football Club Roman Babayev spoke about his Armenian roots, why CSKA did not acquire Henrikh Mkhitaryan and what steps the club is now taking to increase the attendance of its new stadium .
Recently, an article about the most influential Armenians in Russian football appeared on one of the Russian sports websites. It turned out that there are a lot of Armenians in Russian football. It's no secret that you also have Armenian roots. Where is your family from?
My parents are Armenians. We are from Baku. I lived in Armenia. Went to school. Pushkin. I know Armenian, but due to the lack of practice, now I speak with difficulty, although I understand perfectly.
When was the last time you were in Armenia?
In 2000. I plan to visit next year. I am very bored. I know Yerevan very well. For a long time he lived in Byurakan. As a teenager, Mount Aragats climbed all over. When I lived in Armenia, there was a very difficult period - cold, dark years. But despite this, I still have very fond memories. As well as from Nagorno-Karabakh. I was in Stepanakert and Shushi as a child. Our relatives lived there.
Does CSKA President Yevgeny Lennorovich Giner also have Armenian roots?
Yes, he does not hide the fact that Armenian blood also flows in his veins. Often happens in Armenia. He has many close Armenian friends.
And how did it happen that there are so many Armenians in Russian football?
Well, not just in football. Historically, the Armenians showed themselves in various fields. This is inherent in the people - family, education and work for any Armenian family is a priority. We had a difficult financial situation in the family - my mother is a doctor, my father is an engineer. But they did everything for me to get a good education. I graduated from the Faculty of Law of Moscow State University with honors. Armenian parents try to give their children a good education.
Do you follow Armenian football?
I follow, but recently there are not many reasons for joy. At the club level, the teams do not have success in Eurocups, and the national team is not happy yet. This may be due to the difficult economic situation. But I communicate with colleagues from Armenian clubs and, of course, I worry, mainly for the national team.
How did you get into football?
As a 4th year student, I tried to find a job. Through a friend, I got the opportunity to work at the CSKA football club as a legal adviser. Then, under the previous management, the club was going through hard times. To be honest, I thought I wouldn't last long here. With the knowledge and ambitions that Moscow State University gives, I wanted more. But he endured, and then, as they say, got involved. And it seemed to me that doing sports law is very interesting. At that time, sports law as such did not exist. There was some kind of vacuum, no one understood how to conclude transfer and employment contracts. In 2001, when Yevgeny Lennorovich Giner joined the club, it immediately became clear that new big goals were set for the club. He invited me to stay. And I do not regret at all that I stayed.
Can you say that you are good at football or is it your role to be a good manager?
I'm more of a manager. Although, when you have been working in football for more than 20 years, to one degree or another you begin to understand. I do not participate in the selection work of the club, just as a breeder. I don't consider myself educated enough to evaluate footballers. We fully trust the breeders. My task, if the candidate has already been selected, is to negotiate as efficiently as possible, conclude a contract, and ensure the life of the player.
And where are the general directors of football clubs trained and, most often, representatives of what professions become general directors in football clubs?
There are many educational programs that provide an opportunity to learn the most important skills in a short time. And the most important thing is to make the most efficient use of the resources that the club has at its disposal. I don't see a big difference between the general director of a commercial structure and a football club. Of course, you need to understand football, but in fact, you need to use the resources at the disposal of the club as efficiently as possible in order to achieve the maximum result, both sports and economic.
It's no secret that CSKA is one of the few private clubs in Russia. Therefore, we try to build our business model in the European manner. How much we earn, how much we spend. It is desirable to earn more, but due to objective economic reasons, it is not always possible. Manchester United CEO Ed Woodward worked for a consulting company for a long time. The club drew attention to him and invited him. The largest percentage are lawyers and commercial directors who become CEOs. Sometimes former football players, but they often become sports directors.
How do you feel about criticism? I often read criticism addressed to you, especially your statements about the attendance of CSKA matches are criticized?
I react very calmly. Criticism is sometimes very helpful. It cannot be assumed that everything is fine just because we are the most titled club in Russia. Despite fierce competition, over the past five years we have become champions three times and silver medalists twice. For the last five years we have been playing in the group stage of the Champions League. It is good when criticism is constructive, but this is not always the case. I try to get acquainted with all the materials that are dedicated to our club. In terms of match attendance, we have taken a number of very serious measures over the past few months, and the result was not long in coming. Of course, the match with Manchester United is not very correct to cite as an example. On the other hand, last year we played with such teams as Tottenham and Monaco, but the stadium was not completely filled. Yes, Manchester United is a more status team, but even less so, this also applies to the work of our services, the acceleration of screening activities, pricing policy, and communication with fans. Even in the championship of Russia there are already dynamics. Despite the fact that it is already autumn and cold, people come to the stadium.
And all this was not before?
It was, but our stadium is new. He recently turned one year old. For this kind of objects, this is a negligible period. This is a unique stadium. It has an integrated business center. We adopted this idea from Stamford Bridge in London. We also raised the level of service for fans - we increased the number of screening points, which allowed us to reduce queues, and improved the quality of catering. Very serious measures are being taken to ensure the maximum safety of the fans. Separately, it should be noted our fans, with whom we regularly communicate and are in close contact. There have been no recent offenses.
In addition, despite the economic problems, we have reduced ticket prices, even for the Champions League matches. And I repeat - we already have a result. Not yet the one that I would like to have in the end. But an attendance of 16,000 per match is not the limit, but not too bad either. We will try to reach the level of about 20,000.
Is the position of general director the limit of your ambitions or will you strive for more?
I am quite pleased with everything. I am very grateful to the shareholders of the club, my colleagues, our team, whose successes make it possible to regularly achieve sports and economic results. I have no ambitions like to become the Minister of Sports.
What can you say about the last match of CSKA in the Champions League against Manchester United? The fans of your club looked decent until the end, although the team lost with a big score.
It was a big celebration of football. Especially considering that the two legendary clubs Liverpool and Manchester were in Moscow at the same time. The result was disappointing, but in fairness it must be said that Manchester United is a very strong team and it would be difficult for any Russian club to play with them. I was pleased with the atmosphere of the stadium. The fans supported their team as best they could. Thanks to Henrikh Mkhitaryan, there were many Armenians at the stadium.
How do you assess the chances of CSKA in the group?
Given the current situation, our main rival will be Basel. This does not mean that we underestimate Benfica, but when the Portuguese team has no points, and we have the same points with Basel, then the struggle in the group for second place will be with Basel.
They say that at one time CSKA was interested in Mkhitaryan. How serious was the interest from the club then?
We were really interested in him. He performed successfully in Ukraine, at the same time, Movsisyan played well in Spartak. Mkhitaryan already declared himself very brightly. When he was offered to us, he was already playing at Shakhtar. And we conduct our transfer policy very carefully. And above a certain maximum, we do not raise transfer amounts. Unfortunately, at that time, his transition was no longer possible.
Vera Martirosyan
This article will focus on one of the most successful general directors of the entire world of football and the CSKA club in particular - Roman Babaev. His contribution to domestic football is invaluable. He was able to prove to the whole world that Russian football players are worth a lot. In the article, you can trace his entire long and thorny path: from the beginning, when he was an unknown university student, to the end, when he became a significant person in the world of football.
Roman Babaev. Biography
The novel was born on February 13, 1978 in the city of Chelyabinsk, USSR. Currently, it is a citizen of the Russian Federation.
Soon he moves to Moscow and enters the University. Lomonosov at the Faculty of Law. Institute Roman Babaev graduated with a distinction. He began building his career at FC CSKA back in 1999, being at that time still a legal adviser. He is also an expert in the field of sports law.
Roman Babaev has been the General Director of CSKA since March 2007. He was appointed to this position by the Board of Shareholders. Since 2006, he has also been a holder of the Order of the Badge of Honor.
Way to FC CSKA
Currently, Roman Babaev is one of the leading young football managers in Russia. But it all started with the fact that back in 1999, a 4th year student of Moscow State University had the opportunity to work at the CSKA football club as a legal adviser.
At the end of the 90s, as many remember, there were very troubled times, which also influenced the CSKA football club. It would seem that this is a road to nowhere, because there was no hope even that the infrastructure of the club would develop. During this period, Roman Babaev decides to have nothing more to do with this club and wants to leave it as soon as possible.
Arrival of new investors to the club
But in 2001, new investors came to the club, headed by Evgeny Giner. They wanted to do absolutely everything for the club and to ensure the rule of law in football. At this time, a legislative vacuum arose in the club (there were no norms that determine the status of professional sports), the staff of football clubs did not even have lawyers. But after the arrival of Giner, everyone realized that his team is a union of people with great ambitions who will be able to move to a new stage in the development of a football club.
From the first days, Roman Babaev and Evgeny Giner began to bring this goal to life.
One of the main tasks was to build a vertical of power in the club and recruit professionals in their field for the main positions:
- commercial director;
- financial director;
- director of information policy of the club;
- head of the selection department.
Roman Babaev himself headed the legal management department for six years. And only in 2007, by decision of the Board of Shareholders, Roman was appointed General Director of the football club.
Under the leadership of Roman Babaev, a very efficient and effective management system was built, which is still used today.
What did FC CSKA achieve under the leadership of Roman Babaev
On February 21, 2001, it became known that the owner of the club had changed - Evgeny Giner (a Russian businessman) became the owner. And the club attracted new investors; they were people from the Ministry of Defense and a company from England, Blue Castle Enterprises Limited. This was the beginning of the revival of the legendary club, which in the future became one of the leading clubs in Russian football.
In the period from 2001 to 2015, the CSKA football team won the Russian championship five times. Five times they took silver and twice bronze medals. FC CSKA has won the Super Cup six times, two times - a quarter-finalist of the Champions League.
2005 was a landmark year for the club as it won its first trophy, the UEFA Cup (Eurocup). Of course, it is safe to say that the club's victories are the result of the efforts of not one person, but of all those who had a hand in this - this is both the coaching staff and the president. And, of course, Roman Babaev also did a lot to make CSKA a successful club.
What is the secret of the club's success?
The main secret of the success of FC CSKA is the attitude to business. Most of the clubs that are supported by public money very often achieve nothing. Well, this becomes noticeable by the example of the Saturn club. As practice shows, the existence of a team for public money is a waste of taxpayers' money. Post-Soviet and Russian football in this form cannot be a business, because the solution of issues from the financial side is not entrusted to the team leaders - they face only sports tasks. So there is no financial benefit. Because of this, such clubs receive only budgetary funds.
But private finance is different. Because in this process it is necessary to control the expenditure of funds on a daily basis, starting from this, Roman Babaev and Evgeny Giner created their own strategy, which has been successfully used for more than 10 years.
Strategy
The club bets on players who are not yet promoted, not on popular and young football players, but on talented players.
Yes, inviting such participants is always risky. But you have to do it wisely. It is necessary to take into account the character, marital status, mentality and, of course, the perspective and ambitions of the player.
A small list of young football players who gained fame in FC CSKA during the reign of Babaev and Giner:
- Ahmed Moussa - participant of the World Championship in 2014.
- Milos Krasic - participant in the 2004 Olympics.
- Wagner Love - participant in the America's Cup in 2007.
- Chidi Odia - African Cup of Nations participant in 2006.
Investors under Babaev
In order for a football club to become successful in our time, it is necessary to attract the attention and funds of investors. Because in today's world it is impossible for a club to become popular without it.
Roman Babaev and Evgeny Giner understood this very well, and therefore they actively began to attract investors for FC CSKA. One of the first sponsors of the team was the company "Konti". After that, the company "Sibneft" invested in the club, the total amount of investments was about 55 million dollars. Today, the Russian Networks company is considered to be the investor of the football club.
The amount under the concluded contract is 130 million dollars.
A successful team must have its own modern stadium, which was perfectly clear to both Evgeny Giner and Roman Babaev.
In 2007, when Babaev became the general director of the CSKA football club, construction began on a modern elite football stadium that would meet all UEFA requirements. On the territory allotted for construction, it is planned to build a children's and youth sports school, a business center and, of course, a museum of FC CSKA.
Roman Babaev. Nationality and personal life
It is known that Roman is not married. His nationality is unknown. Some say that he is Armenian by nationality, some are Jewish, like Yevgeny Giner. There is no reliable information about this. Despite all this, I want to say that this is a man who did everything possible and impossible to push one of the average clubs to the championships of Russia, and help him become the favorite of his fans, the fortieth football team in the UEFA rankings, whose annual budget is about ninety million dollars.
With the advent of Roman Yuryevich Babaev, the CSKA football club has achieved really great success, for which both the players and numerous fans are grateful to the general director.
What do we know about the CEO of CSKA? Very little. The young energetic manager of one of the most successful Russian clubs rarely gives lengthy interviews. However, this corresponds to the general image of the army team: for the most part, they are laconic. With the hope of finding out as much as possible about Roman Babaev, I went to the CSKA office. Alas, we had to wait a bit: the office of the general director for some time became a place of pilgrimage for almost all the club's employees: the off-season, a lot of issues that need to be addressed immediately. When at last Roman Yuryevich was released, he told everything about himself at ease and honestly. It became clear how versatile and addicted he is.
So, get acquainted: the general director of CSKA Roman Babaev is a graduate of the law faculty of Moscow State University, a romantic and a big fan of extreme sports.
In touch with the phone
S: Roman Yuryevich, tell me honestly: will we be able to talk at all? The phone, as I see it, is cut off every minute.
Yes, I even sleep with the phone. This is my second wife, you can say. But I'm used to it and I can't say that it's very annoying. Another thing is that they often call because of all sorts of nonsense. We have to separate the wheat from the chaff.
S: So I wedged myself into this busy schedule. There is an interest to learn more about you, to talk about the success of the club ...
Well, success is a relative concept: we did not become champions of Russia last year. But the team looked really worthy throughout the entire championship, fighting for the first place until the last rounds. Not everything worked out for us, unfortunately - there was a period of unacceptable mistakes, due to which Zenit failed to overtake. Nevertheless, I think that in the second round CSKA showed an interesting game, bright and spectacular. Fans love this kind of football. I know that even many fans of our direct competitors recognize CSKA as the number one team precisely from the standpoint of entertainment. So there are fond memories of last year. But we need to move on to the titles.
S: Let's prioritize. What comes to mind first?
Of course, participation in the quarter-finals of the Champions League is the first time our club has reached this stage. Successful performance in the Europa League. And, I repeat, the second round of the Russian Championship, during which we regularly saw a real team on the field - a team in every sense of this voluminous concept. It became clear that CSKA is not just a set of high-class players. This is a single whole, this is a fist, this is a perfectly balanced machine that is able to think, develop and rebuild. CSKA showed both attacking football and rational football, if the need arose; CSKA got a game pattern, which is especially pleasing given the large number of newcomers - it usually takes much more time to build up. And if we also remember that Leonid Slutsky worked with the team, in fact, the first season, we can firmly say: CSKA showed a good result in 2010.
S: Whom do you see as the main competitor in the championship race in the coming season?
You know, Russia is such a country that all sorts of predictions practically lose their meaning. This applies to all types of activities, and sports - even more so. Do you see what sad news comes from Amkar and Saturn? Who could have thought about this in the fall? In general, it is difficult to predict. But I'll try. If we take the 2010 season as a basis, of course, Zenit, Spartak and, probably, Rubin. Although none of those who set high goals for themselves can be written off - for example, Lokomotiv and Dynamo. But at a distance, it was Zenit and Rubin that looked the most stable and competitive. Partly - "Spartacus".
Do not go to job.ru
S: What rating do you think the head coach deserves?
I think that the entire coaching staff of CSKA, headed by Leonid Slutsky, did a good job. At the moment the decision was made on the coach, it was clear, of course, that he would need some time to adapt: it is no secret that Leonid Viktorovich has quite serious experience, but he did not work in top teams. And in them, with all due respect, there are slightly different mechanisms, the players behave a little differently, the management sets other tasks. All this was a novelty for Slutsky, and he honestly admitted this more than once. But time passed, and everything fell into place. I think that the coach coped with his work with dignity.
S: After Valery Gazzaev left the team, CSKA did not immediately get on their own wave. At the same time, Slutsky was invited to work in a difficult period of life for the army. How, why, for what reasons did the club choose this candidate?
Honestly, I don’t even want to remember the period when Valery Georgievich left CSKA. It was just New Year's Eve. You won't wish what we experienced then on your enemy. We were not ready for such a turn of events - to be without a head coach. The options that were available in the nearest reserve, unfortunately, for various reasons did not grow together, and we rushed at a gallop across Europe. We've tried everything we can. Unless they visited the site job.ru. In general, in fact, they chose from what was. And at that time there was communication with the Brazilian specialist Zico, who had a wonderful season with Fenerbahce: the quarter-finals of the Champions League, the title of champion of Turkey ... But in Russia, Zico, unfortunately, did not work out. Then the Spanish coach Juande Ramos was invited: we held negotiations very quickly and were able to attract a top-notch specialist to work, as they say, without noise and dust. Ramos is a very strong coach and a very decent person, but not everyone in Russia is able to realize himself and find himself. That's not news.
S: A special country, what is there ...
Yes, Russia requires a special approach. The problem of the language barrier, of course, is present, a completely exclusive mentality, climatic conditions - all together. It was unreasonable to demand quick success from Ramos, and we were aware of this. Therefore, in the end, a strategic decision was made, for the future. Yes, Leonid Slutsky is a young specialist with no experience in top teams, but his professional level is beyond doubt. With him, sacrificing, perhaps, a momentary result, CSKA will succeed in the future - approximately in this vein, we thought. Fortunately, everything went even according to a more optimistic scenario: almost immediately, a phenomenal, in my opinion, result was issued - participation in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. I think the choice justified itself. And I really hope that CSKA will have very serious success with Leonid Slutsky.
S: It’s curious: when two serious foreign coaches in a row did not take root at once, there was no desire to return Gazzaev? Or was it unrealistic?
There is nothing unreal in life. But when you do something, you need to clearly understand why you are doing it. Valery Georgievich is associated with golden pages in the history of the army club. No one will argue that he was and remains the strongest Russian coach - this is not even discussed. But it is very difficult to enter the same river twice. And three times - even more so. Gazzaev has already left the team once. Then he returned, and returned enchantingly, winning the UEFA Cup. For the third time, it would probably be very difficult for all of us to repeat this path. Therefore, we practically did not consider this option.
State clubs are doomed
S: Last year, experts unanimously gave CSKA a five for selection. You can be congratulated...
Thank you. I am often asked what is the secret of CSKA. The answer is simple: in relation to the case. Yevgeny Giner has repeatedly said that clubs focused on state subsidies, unfortunately, are doomed. In this matter, the president of CSKA turned out to be a visionary, this can be seen in the example of the same Amkar and Saturn. Public money is a road to nowhere. And it's not that someone accuses someone of wasting people's money. It's just that Russian football in its purest form is by no means a business, so no one sets any financial tasks for the management of the so-called "state" clubs. Put sports. But it is clear, after all, that six or seven teams, no more, can fight for the first three places in the Russian championship, and the rest simply go along the path of mastering budget funds. The money has been allocated, it needs to be spent, but how is the tenth question. The attitude towards private capital is completely different. This is yours, not someone else's. This is daily control, daily accounting. That's the whole secret of success: we try to be extremely attentive to any transaction, and even to the transfer - doubly and triple. We once defined a strategy that will soon be ten years old. Her name is a bet on young, unpromoted, talented players. Such as Carvalho, Wagner, Zhirkov, Krasic, Jo, Doumbia, Tosic. When we found them, perhaps they were familiar to a narrow circle of specialists, but their names did not mean anything to the fans. We followed them with all our eyes, taking into account not only the sports component, but also the character, mentality, marital status, and so on. And, of course, we also made mistakes. For example, Maazu is an excellent player, but, unfortunately, we did not take into account certain traits of his character, which did not allow the guy to fully reveal himself in Russia.
S: Can you be more specific: how exactly is the process of finding a suitable player?
Yes, I already said, there is no secret here. Only work. I can add that both the president and the shareholders of the club are personally involved in transfer issues, and on a daily basis. There is no such thing as a certain breeder, conditional Vasya Petrov, who is looking for the right people from morning to evening, brings us a profile and everyone immediately says: “Well, let's try to take it.” There is a certain system of work that we try to do responsibly. The club has a database of players aged 14 and over. As a rule, CSKA does not consider footballers over the age of 23-24, with rare exceptions. All football players are divided into categories A, B and C - by talent, by sports results, and so on. Breeders regularly update this database, and if necessary, we turn to the list and enter into negotiations. Of course, they are not always simple and successful, because the market is tight. For example, several clubs from Russia were interested in Doumbia at once. And they offered the guy much more favorable conditions.
S: Why did Doumbia end up in CSKA?
I had to look for additional arguments ... So, I will continue. When the need arises to acquire a particular player, as, for example, in a situation where we knew that Krasic would leave, we look at who appears on our list in the right position. In Krasic's case, Tosic was one of the alternatives. We weighed all the pros and cons, including the fact that the Serbs adapt to Russia, perhaps better than other foreigners, and made a collective decision. And then the technical work went on - calls, trips, negotiations. At the same time, CSKA prefers to negotiate directly with the clubs, avoiding all these near-football comrades.
S: By the name of the agents?
Yes. Although the agent is different for the agent, of course. But, in my experience, most of them appear only at the moment when a player moves from team to team, which, of course, promises certain profits. And for the rest of the period, when a footballer needs help, agents disappear somewhere.
S: Do you plan to strengthen for the upcoming long season?
The team, according to objective professional assessments, is currently well staffed. If no one leaves CSKA, there is absolutely no need to acquire new players: the competition for a place in the squad is very high, not all people get enough game practice and, of course, remain dissatisfied with this circumstance. Our football players are very ambitious people, most of them play for the national teams of their countries, and far from being the last in the football world. So if we acquire new players, it will most likely be young people. For the future.
S: You said that someone can leave the team. Who exactly?
This is just a necessary caveat. This fact must always be kept in mind. This is football, this is life. CSKA is not the kind of club that tries to make a profit on a player at the first opportunity. Many players who come to CSKA noticeably increase in price after a while. If we talk about recent acquisitions - almost ten times like Sekou, for example, whom we saw, we can say out of the blue. And if there are offers from top clubs worthy of both the players themselves and the CSKA brand, we will definitely consider them. Of course, it is impossible not to let people go to Juventus or Chelsea, but the priority is still to preserve the team in the form in which it is now.
Few people are not afraid of Giner
S: Two people are invariably present at RFPL meetings from the army club - you and Evgeny Giner. Why?
This is just the question of responsibility and indifference. It is very important to improve the work of the club in all directions, and the Premier League today is authorized to develop the commercial component, to promote the brand of Russian football. Therefore, the presence of two representatives of the club at meetings is a matter of principle. As the saying goes, one head is good, but two is better. Naturally, all serious decisions in CSKA are made at the level of the club president, who is directly involved in all processes without exception. But since I also need to keep abreast of events and I am included in a number of working groups of the Premier League, my presence at RFPL meetings is justified and expedient.
S: How long have you known Yevgeny Giner?
Since 2001.
S: What did he become for you during this time? Friend, senior comrade? Or is it still the direct boss?
First, of course, Evgeny Lennorovich is my leader and teacher. I have learned a lot from him in these ten years. And not only me: almost all the people who come across him in life speak extremely positively about this person. I think it is not for nothing that he is annually nominated for the title of the best sports manager in Russia. Absolutely right.
S: What did you personally learn from Giner?
First of all, the fact that the word "impossible" is not in his vocabulary. There are plenty of examples when I was sure that this or that project was unrealistic, but then I was convinced of the opposite: if you try very hard, everything will work out. As Yevgeny Lennorovich says, a person who wants to do a job will find ten ways to achieve this, and one who does not want to find a thousand ways why this cannot be done. God bless everyone with such a teacher. The success of CSKA is largely the success of the club's president.
S: For you, then, now, too, nothing is impossible?
It's just, you know, many times the impossible actually turned out to be possible. As an example, I can recall the trial when CSKA players were accused of doping. Everyone around unanimously repeated that no one would stand on ceremony with us, and the guys would receive at least a year of disqualification, although we knew that we were not to blame for anything. The club then literally stood on its ears, we did a lot of work, and in the end, justice prevailed. But you could send two or three letters to the appropriate authorities and limit yourself to this ... So here, at CSKA, we often go across the stream, trying to achieve results. True, not always, everything depends on us, as, for example, it was in the autumn on the football field, when we could not score a penalty in three matches. Just some kind of accident, a fantastic outcome with a minus sign...
S: Apparently, Giner also infected you with efficiency?
Yes, I have already learned to go without sleep when necessary. In the same transfer issues, sometimes every hour counts.
S: Are you afraid of your boss?
You know, I think that in Russia - and not only in Russia - there are not so many people who would not be afraid of Giner. Not because he is scary and harsh. It's just a man who always says what he thinks. Maybe harsh, but always honest and, as a rule, to the point. And, of course, a lot of people don't like it. No, I cannot say that I am afraid of Yevgeny Lennorovich, but his authority is certainly a very tangible value.
All friends come from childhood
S: Do you have real friends in the football world?
No, because friends, in my opinion, are a piece category. There are friends. For example, I have a very good relationship with Igor Akinfeev. I can say that few people know him from a purely human point of view. Igor is not only a wonderful football player, but also a rare person. God forbid everyone who has achieved such success to remain themselves, as Igor could do. But I can't say that I have real friends in football.
S: It's hard to build close relationships with the people you work with...
Yes, probably. My friends are mostly from school and university days.
S: Apparently, the position does not allow you to especially relax.
Oh sure. To work normally, you have to make certain sacrifices. But I keep in touch with my friends.
S: And with other club managers? They probably understand you like no one else ...
Relations are exclusively friendly. We communicate regularly with Maxim Mitrofanov from Zenit, with Evgeny Smolentsev, who recently moved from Spartak to Zhemchuzhina.
S: What about the players?
As I said, good relations with Akinfeev. Also with Rakhimich, with Shemberas, with the Berezutsky brothers. It's very fashionable to be friends with footballers now, especially when they are successful. Nobody knew them yesterday, but today the guys are suddenly overgrown with well-wishers. This is not my case. I am not a supporter of using the opportunities that my position gives in order to be friends with the stars in public.
Came to CSKA in troubled times
S: Have you been rooting for CSKA since childhood?
I won't lie, I didn't get sick. Yes, I was worried about CSKA basketball, but in football, to be honest, there were no priorities. Since childhood, my favorite team is Barcelona. And so it is to this day. But now in the first place, of course, CSKA, and Barca went to second.
S: As a child, whose posters hung over the bed?
Draws. I never had idols. Family photos hung above the bed.
Q: Did you play football?
Yes, I played - both at school and for the law school team at Moscow State University, which was considered far from the strongest at the university. Football has been very close since childhood, so I think I'm terribly lucky that work is connected with it.
S: Is it a coincidence that you were in demand in this particular area? Or did you deliberately go for it?
Life, of course, is an amazing thing. Everything was like in a movie. When I was in my fourth year, quite by accident the opportunity arose to work at CSKA. I did not consider it seriously, my task was to graduate from the university and, if possible, provide myself with additional income. It was 1999 - real troubled times. And everything that had to do with CSKA looked quite sad. I, as a simple layman, drew information exclusively from the press. And I found out that CSKA was somehow connected with the financing of Chechen fighters, with the clothing market ... Of course, the club had that reputation. But I was offered to work as a legal adviser, and I thought: why not? Then the leadership changed in the club, in 2001 Evgeny Giner came to CSKA. By that time I was already going to quit, because nothing good happened then. There were enthusiasts who tried to somehow restore the legal order in football. But that was a time of absolute legislative vacuum, no one had any idea about any norms regulating professional sports. There was only an empty "Law on Physical Culture and Sports", which did not answer a single question. Those times can’t be called otherwise than vague – not only for football, but for the whole country, which was just trying to get up off its knees. Even the very presence of a lawyer in the staff of the organization seemed nonsense. I remember I called a Moscow club, asked to put me in touch with a lawyer, and in response to me: “Where are you calling? It's a football club!"
S: Giner convinced, then, to stay?
When I had already, as they say, sharpened my skis in the criminal lawyers - to be honest, I was very interested in this area of jurisprudence - and was about to write a statement, Evgeny Lennorovich had just a couple of words to fire me up again. I agreed to stay and, as you might guess, I do not regret anything today. And it's not just about career growth. We created a new CSKA, we can say we made history, and it's hard to convey how interesting all this is. Every day is a new challenge. I am very proud and very happy that I was at the right time in the right place.
Extreme is not enough
S: On holidays, the general director of a large football club, apparently, does not manage to relax, like mere mortals?
No Unfortunately. Or maybe fortunately. On holidays, I try to spend my free time with my family - this is, in fact, a real holiday. Of course, I want to go somewhere in warm countries, but so far I have not been able to.
S: In general, can you classify yourself as an outdoor enthusiast?
Whenever possible, yes, of course. I love windsurfing, for example. Going somewhere, I always choose places where I can realize my hobby. I just don't know how to lie on the beach and sunbathe.
S: Russia has recently come out of the New Year's half-forgetfulness. What can you wish the fans of CSKA - and all other clubs - in the coming year, the Year of the Rabbit?
Year of the Rabbit? Multiply! The demographic situation needs to be improved! But seriously, the most important thing, in my opinion, is peace and well-being in the family. Unfortunately, there has been a lot of aggression around lately. People have simply forgotten how to appreciate what they have. We have ceased to rejoice in simple blessings, sorry for the banality - the opportunity to look and see, to enjoy the sun, sky, sea. You need to understand how important it is and how fragile, how easy it can all be lost. I would like, of course, to have more harmony, warmth and love. As for the fans of CSKA personally - to be with us. And more wins! We have an anniversary, 100 years, so, of course, CSKA will try to please the people.
S: And what do you wish for yourself personally, if you forget about work? For example, collect a collection of butterflies or make a ship in a bottle ...
You know, I once skydived, I was then 19 years old. Since then, I dream of repeating this feat, but somehow it does not work out. Either there is not enough time, then some phobias arise, I will not hide it. So if we talk about desires that are not related to work, I want extreme sports, thrills, a feeling of complete freedom. I would like to have more time to get a new buzz from life.
S: Are there not enough thrills at work?
How much more is enough! Adrenaline is sometimes so over the top! But this is completely different, the nature of these sensations is different. And they themselves are different.
S: Since childhood, such a passion for extreme sports?
Yes, since childhood. Of course, I gave a lot of headaches to my parents and school teachers.
S: Come on, come on?
No, this is a topic for a separate discussion. Let's go another time, okay?
S: Last question: when will CSKA win the Champions League?
This is for the soothsayers, not for me. I will not make predictions. CSKA has long taught everyone that they only talk about things that have taken place here. I can only say that we really want this and are working in the given direction. Participation in the quarterfinals of the League is a good confirmation of this, isn't it? We lost to the future winner, and, in my opinion, Inter, in the state in which they played against us, was almost unbeatable.
|God loves a trinity
In the entire history of CSKA, three legionnaire coaches have worked in the army club. The first was the Portuguese Arthur Jorge, who had experience in Porto, Benfica and PSG. With CSKA, Jorge managed to win only the Russian Super Cup. True, in a match with a principal opponent. The bright victory over Spartak (3:1) was certainly remembered by the team's fans.
In the summer of 2004, the Portuguese was replaced by the returning Valery Gazzaev, and less than a year later, CSKA achieved the most significant success in its history. Leaving at the end of 2008, Valery Georgievich left the fans at a loss: who will get the “team in a golden wrapper”. The baton was picked up by the Brazilian Zico, but the “white Pele” was not destined to complete it before the end of the season. The club's management decided to enter the Champions League with Juande Ramos, but the Spaniard's stay at the head of the team turned out to be short-lived. Leonid Slutsky did not have time to improve the standings of CSKA in the championship, but he brought the army team to the quarterfinals of the main European club tournament.
|CSKA: the 2011/12 season is open!
The first season according to the "autumn-spring" system and concurrently the longest Russian championship, which will stretch for a year and a half, will start very soon. Preparations for it have already begun. The other day, the capital's army team went to the first pre-season training camp in the Spanish Campoamora, where they plan to play two control matches - on January 26 and 27.
The second training camp of the army team will be held in Turkey. The team will travel to Belek on January 31, where they will stay until February 9 and play four control games (February 2, 4, 6 and 9).
Already on February 17, the army team is waiting for the first performance in European competition this year - a match in the playoffs of the Europa League. The team will visit the Greek club PAOK. The championship in the Russian Premier League starts on March 12. But with whom the army team will have to play in the first round, it is still unknown, because the future of the rival in the starting round (Amkar Perm) is still in question.
| The mind does not understand
Players and coaches who have not taken root in Russia and in CSKA in particular, sometimes talk about their impressions of our country, a stay in which becomes a real test for many.
For example, the former head coach of the army Zico traditionally complained about the Russian winter in one of his interviews: “I think that the main problem for the South American is the cold. I have been to different countries, and everywhere it was cool from time to time, but Russia is a special topic. Here, for the first time, I understood what real cold is and what it is, real snow, when the desire to leave the house completely disappears.
But one of the main complaints of all legionnaires is still racism. “I didn’t expect what happened to CSKA striker Maazu to happen here,” Zico shared his impressions about the experiences of a black football player who had heard insults from Russian fans more than once.
Ouvo Moussa Maazu himself also spoke more than once in the press about how difficult it was for him to survive in Russia. True, the striker from Niger was also upset by the “heaviness of being”: the language barrier and unusual food compared to African food prevented the talented striker from revealing himself to the fullest. "Moscow was a living hell - both in terms of language and food," Maazu complained in an interview with foreign media.
Please do not use without the permission of the editor. Quoting is allowed with a mandatory reference to the weekly.
General Director of CSKA on the club's summer transfer campaign.
DID NOT PLAN TO SELL VITINYA- CSKA's Twitter lists all the club's summer acquisitions and says: "It was legendary." Did everything really work?
- I think that the guys are just creative (smiles). Legendary is, of course, too much. I would refrain from any loud assessments for now. Time will tell. Yes, we have done a great job. But, as they say, chickens are counted in the fall. We hope that we did not lose with the newcomers.
- Can't there be two opinions about transfers?
– Yes, it is a success. Golovin's record transfer to Monaco. Vitinho also went to Flamengo for a very large amount, which is uncharacteristic for Brazilian clubs. True, the departure was unexpected for us, since we did not plan to sell it.
– Is that how?
- Yes. The desire of the football player to return to his homeland played a decisive role here. He really wanted it. There were no hints that Vitinho would leave CSKA. But in this situation, we went to meet him and, in principle, received good financial compensation.
Let's talk about newbies.
We will draw conclusions later. But now the acquisition of Abel Hernandez justifies itself. Of course, a very strong player who plays with great desire and dedication. I want to believe that he will continue in the same spirit. Vlašić, in my opinion, is an interesting player.
In general, we continued our strategy of looking for young, talented guys. The youngest team in the Premier League and, as it sounds unusual for CSKA, is not very experienced. Although, of course, there were also old-timers - Igor Akinfeev, Alan Dzagoev, Mario Fernandez, Zhora Shchennikov, Kirill Nababkin, Vitya Vasin, who went through fire and water.
But there are many players who are just starting their way in big football. I am sure that Viktor Mikhailovich (Goncharenko) and our backbone will be able to achieve results with the newcomers. Perhaps not immediately - there will be recessions, but we need to be patient. You need to understand that these are university graduates who are just starting their career growth.
NISHIMURA - THE MAXIMUM BUDGET OPTION
– If “Ufa” had passed “Rangers” in the Europa League, CSKA would hardly have signed Oblyakov?
- Maybe yes. If Ufa made it to the group stage, I think they would make every effort to keep the squad. The negotiations turned out to be difficult and lengthy. In principle, understanding was reached quickly. But there were several conditions, including the performance of the team in European competition. I think that the Bashkir club made a very worthy debut in Europe and brought a lot of points to Russia. Well done, a little was not enough to get past the Scots. Now we hope that Vanya will reach another level in CSKA. He is now one of the most talented young Russian players, at that age he has a serious baggage of matches in the Premier League.
- There is an opinion that in the future Oblyakov will replace Dzagoev.
- I wouldn't say that. In my opinion, they play differently, not very similar players in terms of their qualities. We still believe in Alan. Now he is recovering, I hope that the treatment will bear fruit. Therefore, we did not consider the transfer of Oblyakov in this context. Moreover, we also have Kostya Kuchaev, who also does not play yet. Ivan, as I said, is a talented, promising midfielder with a Russian passport, which is also important, since a lot of foreigners came to us.
- How did the option with the Japanese Nishimura come about?
– This is a bit of an unexpected transfer even for me. We watched one footballer, but in the end we paid attention to him. A very budget option. The most budget! I can't name the numbers. An interesting player with qualities. There is a risk with adaptation, but the player himself was eager to join us. We already had a successful experience with a Japanese player.
- Do you consider cooperation with Honda successful?
- Definitely. Honda has done us a lot of good. There can't even be two opinions here. After the acquisition of Nishimura, a serious interest from Japan immediately arose in us. So maybe this transition will help us from a marketing point of view as well. How will Nismura succeed in terms of football? Let's see. We do not expect miracles - and not only from him, but also from other newcomers. The youth needs time. But, as it seems to me, it was possible to close the necessary positions. We even acquired a little more players compared to those who left.
CSKA SPENT ON NINE PLAYERS AS ON ONE
- Why didn't you manage to agree on Szymanski? "Legia" asked for too much, in your opinion, the amount?
- I would not like to talk in detail about the failed deals. We had very little time. Here financial conditions came to the fore. We signed nine players, but essentially paid for them as for one player. So keep your budget in mind. It's no secret, we always try to spend our money carefully, observe financial fair play and some kind of reasonableness when evaluating a rookie.
- If you believe the information that appeared in the press on CSKA transfers, then in the summer you spent about 10 million euros on newcomers. Is this true?
Yes, about the same amount. But we must not forget that several players came to us for free. This is the lease of Vlasic, and Bekao, and Hernandez. Yes, the amount that appears in the media is approximately true. But, I hope, both in terms of the number of players and in terms of quality, we did not fail.
- Did you think about returning Doumbia and Vagner Love to CSKA this summer?
Of course we all miss them. We want to believe that a miracle is possible again and again. But here we must first of all be guided not by emotions, but by reason. First, no one is getting younger. And secondly, since we have chosen the path of building a young team, it would probably not be right to look for answers in the past. Although, I will not hide, such thoughts visited us, but I have already named the reasons that stopped this step.
NEGOTIATIONS WITH AKINFEEV LASTED THREE MINUTES
- How quickly did you manage to agree with Akinfeev on a new contract?
- It is very important that we extended the contract with our captain. It is difficult to overestimate Igor's contribution to the success of CSKA. And the negotiations went on for only three minutes.
- Wow.
- Yes. Probably the fastest negotiations (smiles). We all know about Timur and his team. So here we are - Igor and his team. And, of course, Viktor Mikhailovich, with his experience and desire to work with young people, I'm sure will be able to build a new, interesting team. But as I have already noticed more than once - patience, patience and once again patience.
- Last question. Is there a possibility that in the Champions League CSKA will host Real Madrid not at VEB Arena, but at Luzhniki?
- We are working on this issue. Unfortunately, there are a number of regulatory restrictions. In a group, one match cannot be played at one stadium and the other two at another. This idea came to us a long time ago, even before the draw. Now it has become even more relevant. But for now, I can't say anything specific.
Vitaly Airapetov