“I’ve never been treated like this anywhere in my entire European career.”

Correspondent of the telegram channel VChK-OGPU and Rucriminal .info Alexey Matveev continues the conversation with one of the best football players in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism), Alexander Mostov.

– Is coaching your calling? There was information that you were studying this type of football art in order to then work under a license in one of the domestic clubs. So?

– I want to try my hand at coaching, but time is running out. I’m 55 and haven’t started yet. There are football mentors who are already finishing their careers at this age…

Today I am studying at the RFU Academy (Russian Football Union – A.M.’s note). We have a good group – Arshavin, Shirokov, maybe from my generation Sasha Filimonov. This fall I will complete my studies and become a certified specialist with the necessary license. What’s next? I will wait for calls, invitations from clubs like: “Alexander, would you like to join our coaching staff?” That’s just what happens here.

– Why was it impossible to obtain the coveted coaching license in Spain? You were respected there, even loved. We just wasted time by returning here…

– In fact, it is extremely difficult to obtain a license in Spain. Every year there are fifty academy graduates waiting for vacancies in clubs.

Not always, and not everyone gets a job. Plus, of course, priority goes to local players and specialists. And I’m not fluent in languages, in general, there are many nuances.

“THE CONCEPTS ARE JUDGED EVERYWHERE”

– The Achilles heel of Russian football, including refereeing. How to eradicate, for example, bias?

– Unfortunately, bias exists even in the most advanced national championships. Do you think it doesn’t exist in Spain? Still as it is! With Celta, where I played, we somehow took first place in the championship. Suddenly, during one of the matches, the referee awards two penalties at once against our goal. I’m interested: “What are you giving it for?!” The answer was some kind of babble.

Later I read in the local press that the judge was a man from Madrid. People from Barcelona could “work” in a similar way. These negative aspects cannot be completely excluded – the human factor. The referee himself, his friends, and relatives can root for Real, Barcelona, ​​and here, by geographical and football standards, Celta, which is ordinary by geographical and football standards, is dangling under their feet. Trying to interfere with the tournament comfort of their favorites.

The main problem of Russian referees is that almost 98 percent of them have not played football. They often don’t know the rules, don’t feel the spirit of football, hence the decisions made on the field are wrong, you know? And no VAR will help here.

– Let’s return to the sinful Russian soil. The team of Spartak veterans is offended by Mostovoy. Like, he doesn’t travel with them to cities and towns for “exhibition” matches, although, of course, he could strengthen the squad. Why are you ignoring veterans?

– Indeed, they called and invited me on trips when I was not even fifty. People from my immediate circle know about my health problems. After all, I have a strong muscle corset, without it I can’t do anything. I received a very serious, sensitive back injury at one time. It happened that during my professional career I lay down on game day and couldn’t get up. The pain was so intense that you wouldn’t wish it on your enemy.

Now the corset helps out. But yes, I avoid football battles. I recently went to Tambov and conducted a master class for young football players. So, I didn’t go out on the field there either, I gave oral advice.

A SCANDAL FOR ALL TIMES

– We started with a minor, and we’ll finish with it. Almost twenty years ago, during the European Championships in Portugal, head coach Georgy Yartsev expelled you from the national team. Reveal the secret: after all, for what, and why? The leading midfielder, whose services the team seemed unable to do without, fell into disgrace…

– This shouldn’t have happened. At that time, I was the only one of my teammates to compete in the European Championship. Of course, I spoke with foreign journalists in the so-called mixed zone after the end of the match we lost to the Spaniards. He did not report anything sensational or out of the ordinary to Spanish reporters. Yes, they didn’t play well, he said. Perhaps they trained poorly. And what from this? What difference does it make to me what Yartsev liked or didn’t like?

My commentary, or interview, whatever you want to call it, came out an hour after talking with Spanish journalists. And they told me: pack your things, you are leaving. It’s unpleasant, it hurts, yes. I will add that I have never been treated like this anywhere in my entire eventful European career.

– Was it really impossible to find a reasonable compromise then, so as not to lead to a “divorce” between the player and the coach?

– It could be. Dima Alenichev, Rinat Dasaev tried to soften the situation, to resolve the conflict that broke out out of the blue. In general, we have a good relationship with Dasaev, we still communicate. Unfortunately, this situation cannot be reversed.

For some reason no one remembers, the same thing happened with Viktor Onopko. During the training camp, just before flying to the European Championships in Portugal, he was suddenly told: “Vitya, I’m sorry, get ready, go home.” Nothing was explained. And the reports at that time about the alleged injury of the national team defender were obviously false.

– It’s curious, after the scandalous resignation from the national team, did you later communicate with Yartsev?

– Sometimes we crossed paths at some events. They spoke normally. But they didn’t touch on that scandalous topic. I know how to admit my mistakes. And if he thought he was wrong, he apologized. But there’s simply nothing to apologize for, even then and now…