“The faces of RFU officials twisted with anger”

The coach allowed himself to miss a shot or two



The next European Football Championship starts in mid-June, this time in Germany. But without the Russian team.

The searing details of some of the “enchanting” performances of Russians on the fields of the Old World, about the behind-the-scenes tricks of officials, the players themselves, and coaches, will be told especially for the telegram channel VChK-OGPU and Rucriminal.info by sports journalist Alexey Matveev

ROMANTSEV "LIGHTED". THE MONEY WAS NOT DIVIDED

We are starting a series of publications dedicated to the continental championship starting on the fields of Germany. Well, how can we do without a story about the scandals and brawls that regularly broke out in the depths of Russian football, the national team, in particular. This was par for the course.



It seems like special hopes were placed on the Russian national team of 1996. The lineup includes not only masters who played in the domestic championship, but also European “stars” from clubs in Germany, France, Italy, etc. And a high-status coach, Oleg Romantsev himself, who with Spartak staked his claim to the title of the best Russian club. The Russians should have played well in England, but...

In the opening match against Italy, my old friend Stas Cherchesov screwed up already at the beginning of the meeting. He unsuccessfully put the ball into play from his own penalty area, the round ball was intercepted by the opponents, a short pass, a shot - a goal. 0:1. The Russian fans, sitting shoulder to shoulder with me in the stands at Liverpool's Anfield, became sad. Then Ilya Tsymbalar equalized the score, but the Italians still won – 2:1. This was not the kind of start we all expected.

The defeat by the Italians was the detonator. A dispute broke out within the team about the late payment of bonuses for reaching the finals of Euro 96. The usual story of the Russian Football Union, where officials again showed unnecessary behavior. The team then split: one of the masters demanded immediate payment, otherwise they threatened to boycott the next matches with the Germans and Czechs. Simply put, not entering the field - wow!

They went out, but they could not have gone out. Because hopelessness reigned throughout the game. The Germans turned out to be much higher in terms of skill level, the Russians had zero chance. And money has nothing to do with it. The opponents are stronger – 0:3. After two defeats, you can “take your overcoats” and return to Russia. However, the scandal within the Russian team was gaining serious momentum. And not only for monetary reasons...

REPORTER AT BIRD RIGHTS

I went to England by boat on a tourist package. I decided not to get involved with figures from the Russian Football Union (RFU). We had a long-standing antagonism towards each other because of my harsh publications addressed to this thoroughly corrupt, and also thieving organization. The Cheka-OGPU and Rukriminal.info talked about this in detail. I knew in advance that they would deny me accreditation for the European Championships. So I bought a tour with the help of a sponsor to a prestigious football tournament in order to transmit daily reports to the editorial office of the Trud newspaper, where I worked at that time.

The package of services also included coveted tickets for three matches of the Russian national team at the group stage, where its opponents are the aforementioned Italians, Germans and Czechs. So I ended up in the company of fans on the podium, which I didn’t regret at all. But, as you know, the Russians went home early without breaking the group stage barrier, and how can we continue to cover the Euro events?

He decided to take a desperate step that seemed absolutely hopeless. The day after the Russians lost to the Italians, I went into the press center at Anfield Road stadium. I asked: could you accredit me for Euro matches, if possible? Surprisingly, it worked. One of the stadium employees, who was responsible for communicating with Russian journalists, Claire, as she introduced herself, took me to the room for photography. In a matter of seconds, my photo was rolled up in plastic, I have accreditation!

Of course I was lucky. Known around the world as “prim,” the British instantly obtained the accreditation necessary to enter the arenas, something that Russian functionaries, who wildly disliked me, would never have done. In general, the process of accreditation for major competitions takes at least six months, only after this period the coveted card arrives.

The answer is that this Claire once visited our Tambov practice as a future doctor. I met a Russian guy, the young people fell in love. Therefore, Claire, of course, had a special attitude towards Russians. Together with her, we walked around the iconic places of Liverpool; they showed me, for example, the venue where the legendary Beatles gave their first concert.

And with accreditation, I attended many Euro matches right up to the finals, transmitting reports from them to the editors of Trud, such adventures...

DEMARCH KIRYAKOV

Meanwhile, the football scandal in the womb of the Russian national team, as I already said, grew on an unimaginable scale, it was difficult to imagine. After two defeats from Italy and Germany, Russia, in fact, lost its chances of continuing the fight in the championship. The final meeting remained, taka, for show, - with the Czechs.

And I went near Liverpool by taxi for 15 pounds, which seemed not very expensive. Well, how, you have to work, communicate with people. The Romantsev team lived at the Wrightington Hotel, where the team owner gave a press conference. Strange, but he turned out to be the only journalist from Russia at that event; perhaps some Czechs filled the hall, others were European colleagues. But ours didn’t, as if they had completely lost interest in their own team after two slaps on the field. The faces of the RFU officials, distorted with anger, seemed to be planning to drive me away, but decided to do so. The atmosphere, yes, is oppressive. The Czechs also asked tricky, ironic questions; their team had to play with the Russians. Romantsev was spinning on his chair as if on a spit. Then he jumped up and almost ran away from the meticulous “sharks of the pen.” What is there to talk about? The championship was a failure.

Already at the exit from the hotel, I briefly exchanged words with one of the assistant head coaches, Boris Ignatiev. “Don’t ask, everything is bad,” was all Boris Petrovich squeezed out.

In the hall of the first floor, someone quipped: Romantsev drinks “bitter”, you won’t get through to him. It seemed like the truth. I knew that Oleg Ivanovich allowed himself to miss a glass or two. And who is not a sinner, no, tell me, who is? Well, the man was drinking...

I was completely taken aback when, at the exit from the hotel, I saw national team player Sergei Kiryakov with a huge bag. He loaded it into the car.

- Where are you going, Sergei? - I ask the forward. There's also a match with the Czechs.

- Somewhere, home, to Germany, to rest.

The conversation began.



“I didn’t keep silent at meetings, I talked about our and the coaching mistakes, including tactical ones,” the striker confessed. -Who will like it? So, to put it mildly, there was a misunderstanding. Oleg Ivanovich does not suit me both as a person and as a coach.

- Thus, you are not satisfied with the second coach in a row, the first was Sadyrin...

- I’m “explosive”, emotional, yes. This to some extent interferes with my life. Let the fans know that I will always play for the national team with pleasure. And now I can’t stay on the team.

That's where we parted.

The match with the Czechs, by the way, the future silver medalists of the championship, then ended in a productive draw - 3:3. And with one tournament point scored, the Russian team flew home.

Already in Moscow, Romantsev partly explained to me the reason for the disagreement with Kiryakov.

“He was especially eager to play against the Germans, of course, Sergei is now playing in the Bundesliga, he wanted to show himself in front of them,” said Oleg Ivanovich. “But I think the forward is not ready either physically, mentally or psychologically to play for the national team at such a high level. That's why I left it in stock...

The question arises: why did you attract a person to the team? Well, let this question hang...

Alexey Matveev

To be continued

Source: www.rucriminal.info