The 37-year-old now works as a coach at the Kuban youth school, and when he was a football player, he defended the yellow-green colors of the Krasnodar club. Best years he spent his playing career just in the Kuban, and also in the Togliatti Lada. In an interview with the correspondent of Nezavisimaya sports newspaper, the ex-defender spoke about his life path, coaches who met at his "football crossroads" and also shared plans for the future.
I was born in Krasnodar, studied at the 35th school, - Sergei began the conversation. - When I was 7 years old, the coach Sergei Alexandrovich Andreichenko, a well-known striker of Kuban in the past, came to our school. He came and invited me to play football in his group at the Kuban stadium. Well, I began to go there, to the "rubber band". First I was trained by Andreichenko in tandem with Yuri Vladimirovich Kolinko, and then by Eduard Dmitrievich Antonyants.
- What knowledge did you learn from each of them?
When we boys were 7-8 years old, Andreichenko and Kolinko often just threw a ball at us, and we ran after him in a crowd. Probably, we didn’t need anything else at that age stage. Under Antonyants, everything was already more serious. He is an educated, decent person, never allowed himself to go to extremes. In principle, I can’t say anything bad about my children’s mentors. There were no such situations that later I remembered: here, I had such a bad coach ...
- Was it easy for you to switch to professional football?
I want to note that from the group of my age - there were about 25 people in it -, by and large, only I, Evgeny Kaleshin and Alexander Perov played. The determining age for a young football player is 14-15 years old. Those who at this stage do not stop there and want to develop, with a successful set of circumstances, if they "catch a good wave", subsequently become good players. But often at this age, the guys have other interests, non-football: who has girls, and who likes to smoke and drink.
- So you didn’t have such “interests”?
Did not have. I was sick of football. Football came first for me. I went from home to school in the morning, from school to training, from training to home, quickly did my homework and ran into the yard to play football. And if it was cold outside, slippery - then in hockey.
- Did you play hockey right on the street?
Yes, on ice, without skates. In the yards of high-rise buildings, on the roads, where cars rolled the ice. Later, when I performed in the Togliatti Lada, I was taught to skate and ski. I tried myself in all winter activities sports, well, perhaps, except for biathlon - I didn’t shoot from a rifle (smiles).
- Did playing hockey help you in football?
Certainly! Any outdoor games are useful for football players. I think there is no "unipolarity" - if the boy, as they say, is "playful", then he shows interest in different types sports. Previously, the situation was different. It is now a big problem - to drive the guys out into the street, but during my childhood it was quite the opposite - we did not sit at home at all. From an early age I ran, jumped, climbed, played Cossack robbers, football, hockey, volleyball ... At school, I played in basketball competitions for a team in which the guys were 2 years older than me. And developed in all directions. And what do we see now? These days, kids come to football in a completely different way than, for example, I came. They have problems with coordination, they don’t hit the ball ...
- You said you played basketball. Probably, it was difficult - with a height of 171 centimeters?
And my height is actually 181 centimeters. I know that they write 171 everywhere, but this is incorrect information, I don’t know why it happened. I have already told reporters, but to no avail.
- Often went to children's and youth competitions?
I know that GorONO, Trud had trips abroad. And we had few serious tournaments. And if the team went to normal competitions every 2 years, then, you yourself understand what results it achieved at the same time - it took 5-7th places. When you are constantly stewing in your own juice, playing only with familiar teams, you do not develop. Where did they go anyway? I remember in Volgograd, in Kurgan. There, the rivals were St. Petersburg "Change", Vladikavkaz "Alania". - a completely different level.
- And how did you study at school?
I was, let's say, "good", but the "triples" sometimes slipped through. My parents instructed me: I need to play football and study. And now we, children's coaches, say this to our students and their parents. There is not only one football. Yes, it's great when you play football all your free time, but you can't allow a strong imbalance in the direction of sports. Because situations in life are different, and if you don’t know how to do anything except football, then it will be problematic for you to get a job somewhere. But there is, however, another option - to leave your health in professional sports, but at the same time earn enough money for yourself with football.
- In 1996, you signed your first contract with Kuban. Strongly, I suppose, rejoiced?
At first, of course, it was exciting to be in the main team, but gradually I got used to the new team more and more. The main thing for teenagers, young people is to have psychological stability. You can’t be embarrassed: oh, the first team. You must immediately show what you are capable of - then both partners and coaches will appreciate you, you will quickly join the team and become its full member.
- And you immediately began to show everything that you are capable of?
I was a tough defender, I acted in an aggressive style, I was psychologically stable. For these qualities, by the way, then they took me to different teams. Already at the age of 18-19, I didn't care who came out to play against me. I went to the "junctions" to the last. Someone began to respect me for this, someone did not really like this style. I was sometimes criticized, but did not pay much attention to it.
- Where did you get this style from?
Senior comrades taught me: the harder you go to the “junction”, the less likely you are to get injured. It stuck in my head well and, thank God, I really didn’t get serious injuries, menisci are not considered. Nothing was stitched, nothing was cut out, nothing was removed.
- Why is it so: the harder you go to the "joint" - the better?
Such a law. You know, there is a law of meanness, so it is here. If a little, even in the subconscious, you start to remove the leg, move away from contact, so as not to get injured, you will definitely get it. Therefore, the harder you go to the “joint”, the better. Ligaments, joints, muscles - everything is tense, everything is as a whole, like iron, and nothing is torn. I do not take into account bruises, abrasions, scratches - these are all trifles. And you will not get fractures, sprains if you adhere to such a philosophy.
Since we started discussing your game personally, let's continue. What positions have you played throughout your career?
Mostly played left or right back. Andrey Poskotin in Kuban put me in the place of the extreme hava, then I still managed to score. In addition, until they switched to playing defensively in the line, he acted as a front defender, and at the end of his career in the second division he played in the center of defense. In general, he did not just play in the center of midfield, attack and at the gate.
- Was it difficult to switch to defensive line play?
I would not say that it was downright difficult, although maybe this is because I was young then and absorbed the information that was brought to my ears well. In "Kuban" they started to play defensively in a line at Poskotin, at Sinau, then they went to training with ropes. And in Tolyatti, where he ended up, all this was already polished to the smallest detail.
- Which of the following positions was the most comfortable for you to play?
Until the age of 30, while he was strong, it was comfortable to act as an extreme defender: he performed his functions well when required, actively connected to attacks. Well, after 30, when I got decent experience, it became more comfortable to play in the center of defense: there is less running around than on the flanks.
- And how did you behave outside the field? Did you allow yourself too much?
I chose a lifestyle without alcohol, without tobacco - without all these "distractions". The fact that other athletes drink is somewhere, maybe normal, everyone relaxes in their own way. I had such a recovery - sleep, sauna, bath, massage. I myself came to this and in no case do I condemn those guys who go to night club. This is their health, their personal life. The most important thing is to be fully mobilized in every workout. Someone does not drink all his life and plays in the second division, while someone drinks all his life and plays in the big leagues. Here, you know, to each his own, everything is very individual.
Let's return to the Kuban. Your first coach in the main yellow-green team was Vladimir Brazhnikov. Sergei Lysenko in an interview with our newspaper called him "dad". Can you call it that?
Sergey Lysenko was a very tough defender, he could bark both in the game and in training. But all his remarks and cries were adequately perceived by the partners. Yes, I think you can call Sergei "father", as you said.
- Sorry, I meant that Lysenko called Brazhnikov's "daddy" ...
Ah, you're talking about Vladimir Alexandrovich. Brazhnikov was a simple man, he did not utter "intricate speeches." Under him, I played a little, then at times they only pulled me up from a double. Therefore, I cannot answer your question.
- After Brazhnikov, Andrey Poskotin was the coach of Kuban. How would you characterize it?
He kept up with modern trends, football trends. For the "Kuban" it was an innovator, a revolutionary, if you like, under him they began to act on the defensive in a line. A simple, intelligent person, on the fingers explained - who, where, where. I learned a lot from Poskotin in terms of positional play.
- And Valery Sinau, they say, brought “his” players with him and began to trust them to the detriment of the local guys.
You know, not only Sinau did this. Very often, coaches bring with them to new teams those players they can rely on, with whom they went through Crimea, Rym and copper pipes. And I think it makes no sense to be offended by this. Personally, I never had “my” coach, I didn’t follow anyone. And Sinau in Kuban trusted the young. He immediately finally transferred me from the double to the “main clip”. Maybe he saw that I could "shoot", or maybe he had no other choice but to put the youth to play. Perhaps Sinau had some misunderstandings in Kuban with older guys.
- Yes, they say, they didn't seem to like that the players brought by Sinau were getting more than they were.
Perhaps it was. I was still young then, no one devoted me to such matters.
- Did it happen in that "Kuban" that the players were taken to the forest and beaten, as Sergei Lysenko said?
Thank God, all this has passed me by. At that time, I was quite young, I didn’t participate in any “frauds and conspiracies”, so there was no demand from me. Well, yes, I remember something like that, various people spoke to our leading players in raised tones.
- Representatives of the criminal world?
Probably yes. In the yard, after all, there were dashing 90s. But with me, I repeat, no one "such conversations" did not lead. There must have been all sorts of stories. More precisely than Sergei Lysenko, I will not tell you about them.
- Would you be afraid if you were in the place of those with whom you spoke in "raised voices"?
You know, speaking abstractly, this is how my parents taught me, and now I adhere to the principle: the righteous man walks with his head held high. If you have nothing to hide, then you will not be afraid of anything. And if you really have, as they say, a stigma in the cannon, then you will shy away from every rustle, from every glance, you will not sleep peacefully at night. At that time, I went and didn’t think about it at all, since I didn’t take part in any “such cases”.
- What was the atmosphere like in Kuban in 1998? I remember that the leadership changed, salaries were not paid.
Yes, the atmosphere was bad. Regardless of whether the leadership changes or not, but if the team has poor funding, then undercurrents always begin, pitfalls appear. When money is paid on time, everyone smiles, laughs and works at full capacity. When interruptions begin, people begin to look for some kind of retreat, they no longer give their best in training, in games.
- Was the bad atmosphere in the team the main reason for Kuban's relegation to the second division?
Maybe yes. Some people didn't play at full strength.
- And you too?
No, well, I tried, I gave all the best. I was about 20 years old, I played for Kuban in my hometown. My parents came to the stadium to watch my game, and then it didn’t matter to me whether they paid me or not. To be honest, at that moment I did not think about money. It is now that we, youth coaches, guys aged 15-16 are asking, how much money will they pay us? It used to be a different time, a different upbringing.
- And what do you answer your pupils when they ask you this?
I? I just smile, that's all. It becomes funny to me. The guy hits the ball only two times on the third, he hasn’t crushed anything yet, but he is already interested in how much money he will be paid. But we ourselves are to blame for allowing this. It just doesn't happen like that. Agents are to blame, club leaders are to blame, who overestimate salaries, lifting, bonuses.
Let's go back to the end of the last century. At the beginning of 1999, only goalkeeper Alexander Perov remained in the Kuban. Could you stay?
I left due to non-fulfillment of the contract by Kuban. I was prescribed a certain amount of lifting, which was not paid to me. And then Alexander Borisovich Garmashov appeared on the horizon, Main coach Togliatti "Lada", in the end I ended up in his team, in the second division. We were faced with the task of entering the first, and we solved it in one year.
- Did Kuban pay off your debts to you?
I have no questions left for Kuban. The Dispute Resolution Chamber decided that I was allowed to leave, the contract was terminated. And I left either as a free agent, or with a small compensation, I don’t remember exactly.
When Lada advanced to the first division in 1999, it beat Kuban in transitional matches. Remember those meetings?
Naturally! In the first match, in Togliatti, we won 2:1, and in Krasnodar there was a draw - 1:1. When they went to the pre-match warm-up at the Kuban stadium, some fans began to shout unpleasant things at me and at Vitaly Kaleshin, who then also played for Lada, which made me even more excited. And others normally shouted, with humor: they say, Seryozha, you are ours, yours, you don’t have to go out to play against us (laughs).
- That is, you can call those matches against Kuban special for yourself?
Of course, they were accompanied by a double mood, powerful inner experiences. When you play against former team, it’s not that you harbor a grudge inside yourself, but you are trying to prove to the former leadership that they may have made a mistake about you when they didn’t trust you. Failure to fulfill the contract is also, I think, to some extent a form of mistrust. If they wanted to stay, they would have paid everything they owed. It wasn't that much of a sum.
- Let's get back to Tolyatti. How do you remember the city itself?
Tolyatti is a rather large city, it consists of two parts. The old city is similar to Krasnodar, it is greener; and in the new one there is an automobile plant, wide avenues, high-rise buildings. In general, I always like new things, it's interesting. You arrive in an unfamiliar city, you begin to get used to local customs, customs, dialect - they speak differently there.
- Did you like Togliatti?
I don’t want to say anything bad about this city, especially since I met my soul mate there, who gave birth to three wonderful children for me and with whom I am still together and in full agreement. As for the climate, there is not a lot of sun in Tolyatti, the weather is often cloudy, so the people there are a little harsh, not very friendly. Everywhere, of course, there are such people, but it seems to me that here, in the south, where there is a lot of sun, the people are kinder. I can also call Tolyatti a city of hard workers. Everyone knows the local automobile plant, where people plow in 3-4 shifts.
- How did the workers treat the players? Not with envy?
Someone with envy, and someone adequately. People look at football players, at basketball players, at hockey players, see what amounts they receive, and each person evaluates it differently. One begins to envy: here, they say, he does nothing special, but he is paid such big money; the other, on the contrary, says: they have "horse work", they leave their health on the field; and the third thinks: why am I getting a penny? So I need to find some ways to get the same amount, but not leave my health in professional sports. Who reacts how depends on the upbringing. People are different, everyone should be treated with understanding.
- Did the plant give gifts to Lada players?
When we solved the problem of reaching the first division in 1999, the players were offered a gift to choose from: a car or money. A pleasant memory: walking around the parking lot, where there are 200 cars, and choosing a color, a complete set.
- And what did you choose?
At that time, the leading car of the domestic auto industry was the "ten". Well, Vitalik Kaleshin and I chose the top ten each. As I remember now, the same brick color. We were calculated, we got into them and went to Krasnodar.
- And "Kuban" gave any gifts?
No, in Kuban only money was paid for solving the tasks set, there was a bonus system. They did not receive such gifts as cars, apartments from Kuban.
- Why did you return to the Krasnodar club in 2002?
Came to Lada from Tashkent new coach, Sergey Butenko, brought his guys, whom he counted on, and it turned out that he no longer needed me. Well, I began to look for myself new club. And in the "Kuban" at the time, the policy of returning local guys was carried out. Well, they returned me, they decided the issue on this wave. Vladimir Vasilievich Podobedov was then the general director in Kuban, the team was coached in tandem by Vladimir Ivanovich Lagoida and Igor Viktorovich Kaleshin.
How did they train?
All exercises, even heavy ones, were built through the ball, through the ball, through the ball. Kaleshin and Lagoida did not offer huge loads, when it was necessary to run somewhere without a ball.
- Did you find Nikolai Yuzhanin in Kuban?
Yes. The first time we crossed paths, when he was the coach of the Krasnodar Territory team, I was 16 or 17 years old at that time. And then we worked a little together in Kuban. The southerner made a big bias on the functional state of the team, paid a lot of attention to tactical rebuilding. Under him, specific exercises have already begun - for endurance, for the speed-strength component.
- Cooper's tests?
Including. By the way, about the Cooper test. In Tolyatti, it was a different story with him. Once Garmashov said: whoever does not pass the Cooper test will run it every morning. And I just recently recovered from an injury, scored 3 extra pounds, and with cheeks like this (spreads arms to sides) I ran for five days in a row, but on the fifth I still passed (smiles).
- Did you like the approach of Kaleshin and Lagoida more or the approach of Yuzhanin?
Then I was 25 years old, the wind in my head, I didn’t really want to run. Although, by and large, well, you run this Cooper test and run, you don’t give a damn whether it benefits or not. And after 30 you already begin to understand the importance of a sports lifestyle, sports nutrition, differently treat fees. You realize that you need to go through every day of the training camp with high quality, lay a good foundation, so that later in the course of the season you don’t get injured, don’t miss matches, don’t lose money because of this and be able to earn as much as possible.
- If you combine your two periods in Kuban, what matches do you remember the most?
Caucasian trips: Vladikavkaz, Nalchik, Makhachkala - you can’t give up slack there. In the game against such teams, the higher the mood, the better the result. Caucasian teams are always fighting, they stand apart. I know what I'm talking about, I myself played for Dynamo Makhachkala for six months in 2006. Caucasian football is peculiar.
- Incidents occurred during these trips?
Yes, every trip to the Caucasus is an incident. Then in Vladikavkaz they throw stones at the bus - we are lying on the floor. Then some, excuse me, kipish on the field, almost a fight. Those were tough times then. Now, of course, when the teams have become more classy, this is no longer allowed.
- Why did you leave Kuban before 2004?
What happened: the Yuzhanin became the coach, who did not count on me. Of course, I really wanted to plunge into the atmosphere big football, try yourself in the big leagues, but the coach, as they say, knows better. I still had a year of contract with Kuban, and the general director of Kuban, Alexander Moldovanov, told me: look for another club, your price is such and such, if I'm not mistaken, 50 thousand dollars. It seems that I agreed with Valery Ovchinnikov, the coach at that time of the Chelyabinsk Lukoil, but he decided to rent me, roughly speaking, for 5 thousand dollars, and not buy for 50 thousand. I went there, then returned to Krasnodar and wrote a letter of resignation here. Although it didn't have to be.
- Why?
It was just necessary to notify the leaders of the "Kuban". I wrote a statement, and when I came back to Ovchinnikov, I got injured right before the season, and he refused to take me to Lukoil. And in Krasnodar I wrote a statement. In the end, it turned out that 2004 was gone for me. For two months I was treating my back, and then for several months I played in the championship of Krasnodar and the region for the Dynamo police team. But, at the same time, at that time I was worth a lot of money - 50 thousand dollars. Therefore, you understand, in such conditions it was difficult for me to find professional team. I finished the year at Dynamo, and then somehow agreed that Kuban would reduce my cost.
- How did it work?
And whining and rolling (smiles). He came and asked, said: well, where, well, who will buy me for 50 thousand dollars? First they dropped to 25, then to 10. Then I found several options in the second league, but they told me that 10 thousand dollars is still a lot, and if we take you, then only for free. And the leaders of Kuban did not want to give me away for free. Here is such a "pit" turned out in my biography. It is unfortunate that the peak of his career came in the first division, and not in the big leagues.
- Have you harbored a big grudge against Kuban?
You know, after the lapse of time, everything has cooled down a long time ago, but then, I confess, there was a strong resentment against the leadership. They wanted to get money for me, without giving me any chance to continue my career normally. I played here for the city, roughly speaking, for the championship of the bath, and, at the same time, they wanted to get some money for me. It is clear, after all, that the presidents of other clubs, even from the second league, when they are looking for newcomers, open the statistics and look: yeah, Shipulin, where did you play last year? In Krasnodar for "Dynamo" for the championship of the bath - nowhere, then. Accordingly, who will pay big money for such a player? If it were not for such an attitude of some people, it seems to me that my career could have developed a little better. If I had been loaned normally, then I would have continued to play on high level. Even if in 2004 he played on loan in the first division, in 2005 he could have signed a full contract or moved to another, more strong club first league. Or he could go to a strong team "under the task" in the second division. And so - it turned out a gap for more than a year. I lost so much time, and then it was extremely difficult to get out of this swamp.
How did the saga end?
Once again I came to the Kuban office, went to the then leaders of the club for a reception, I said: so and so, you don’t need me, give me, for God's sake, a clean transfer. And, finally, I heard the long-awaited: yes, we don’t need you, all right, no questions, go to the accounting department and get your clean transfer, we will give an order. So suddenly I got the opportunity to continue my professional career.
- And we went to Spartak Shchelkovo.
Contacted some agents and they put me in there. I went there because I had to go somewhere to play professionally. There he was mainly engaged in restoring former conditions and “gaining” statistics for himself.
- There you were trained by Yuri Bykov, who recently headed the Novokuban "Biologist"?
Right. A kind of coach, with his own vision of football, which runs counter to the opinion of the rest. I will now tell you a story. Bykov was appointed coach, he announces the meeting and says: “I graduated from the Higher School of Economics. There are teachers, so-and-so, so-and-so, they say to do so-and-so, so-and-so. But I, I, decided that it is not necessary to do this - we will do it like this.
- Normal turn.
Now, from the point of view of the coach, I understand that he was really wrong, he approached the training camp incorrectly: we started them with some kind of jerks, with running uphill. And for good reason, then during the season we got injured. Although being a footballer, Bykov performed well, he himself told us how he played in the big leagues at the age of 30.
- What else do you remember about Shchelkovo?
The team had poor funding, we were not paid money for three months, while the president of the club ran for some deputies. Alexander Krestinin, another player from Krasnodar, played with me in Shchelkovo, he is now coaching the national team of Kyrgyzstan. So, I remember very well how he and I shared a piece of Maggi broth and one egg in half. Because we were not fed, and there was no money to buy food either. In general, I have not very good associations from that time. Just one good memory.
- Which?
We once played a friendly match with Spartak Moscow. 1:1 finished. Vidic, Cavenaghi, Mozart played for the opponent... - it was nice to face such stars.
- After Shchelkovsky "Spartak" in your career there was a six-month period in Makhachkala "Dynamo".
Yes, Pavel Alexandrovich Stipidi helped me to go there. In Makhachkala, of course, the level was completely different compared to Shchelkovo - everything is so interesting and in step with the times! We were coached at Dynamo by Leonid Nazarenko, a well-known specialist in the Kuban. He had excellent relationships with the players - as with his own, as with friends, there was no exaltation of himself, they say, I'm great, I'm a coach - and you are the players. Leonid Vasilyevich knew how to find the right approach to the players: when necessary, he knew how to laugh, when necessary, to talk seriously.
- What were the conditions in Makhachkala?
I'll tell you so. When you come there with the Kuban, for example, you feel aggression towards you, even arrogance. And when you yourself are a player of the Makhachkala team, then there are no problems. In the best traditions of Caucasian hospitality: they meet, ask, what questions do you have, where do you need a ride, what to show? There were no problems with teammates either - neither in football matters, nor in living conditions. We lived in a Makhachkala hotel, we were guarded.
- How were they guarded?
Well, there wasn't much security, it was just that the hotel was a closed area. At that time, the situation in Dagestan was not easy - a terrorist situation. We were told: wear Dynamo (Makhachkala) outfit, and no one will touch you.
- So it was: they went in outfit and no one touched you?
Yes, there were no difficult situations. The local youth saw that we were Dynamo (Makhachkala) players, and there were no provocations.
- Your next haven is the Novorossiysk "Chernomorets".
At the end of 2006, Dynamo Makhachkala was disbanded, the guys fled, and I went, again, through Pavel Stipidi, to Chernomorets. I was personally invited to Novorossiysk by Vladimir Lagoida. Besides me, Mikhail Voronov and Alexander Perov joined the team. So, we arrived at Chernomorets, passed all the training camps, everything is fine. But Lagoida was removed very quickly, a new coach came - Khazret Dyshekov. And a situation arose, which we have already talked about - another mentor brought “his” guys to the team and began to bet on them. But we were not his people. As a result, I was the first to be “sheathed”: after a month and a half I was told that you can already go home, we will pay you a salary, there are no questions. I did just that - I went home and just got paid. Then, after me, Voronov was sent from Chernomorets, but Sasha Perov turned out to be the most persistent - he spent the longest time there, but still he was “sheathed”. Unfortunately, this happens very often in football.
Yes, I entered the Kuban State University, I played for its student team at the specialized European Championships. In Poland they took 7th place, the next year in Turkey - 3rd. I would like to note the attitude of the Rector of the University, Mikhail Borisovich Astapov. He literally does the team a favor! In addition, he played for the Krasnodar Dynamo, Pontos from Vityazevo, and in 2010 he was announced for the KFC for the Novokuban Biologist, who was then coached by Sergey Grigoriev. Financial conditions, of course, were not so hot, but they paid the same day.
- And how was it working with Grigoriev?
He paid great attention to the functional state of the team. With Grigoriev, I went through all the training camps from start to finish, laid a really serious foundation, and for the whole season I did not have a single injury. As I told you before, with age I have become more serious about all these camps, about “accumulating” a certain mileage. But there was no recovery in the team, except for sleep, in addition, I had to inject the guys myself, bandage them, smear ointments, but that's another story.
- Why separate?
There was no doctor in the team, there was no massage therapist, and since I had a decent amount of experience with all these syringes, pills, ointments for my football career, I took on these functions (smiles).
- Did you prescribe medications?
No, of course, he didn’t prescribe pills, but he knew what to drink for heartburn, what for inflammation.
- The "Biologist" has an exotic stadium in the village of Progress. Did you like it?
Yes. It is located in a lowland, among greenery, such a cool one. No running tracks, stands close to the field, natural turf. There is a very pleasant atmosphere, people came to cheer for us.
- Few people.
Yes, not much, but all the same, those who came supported us. About Grigoriev, I also want to say that we worked well with him, although, perhaps, I had misunderstandings with him: I am a veteran, he is a coach. In any case, I soon left Biologist for FC Slavyansky.
- In Slavyansky, the head of the district administration, Anatoly Razumeev, first followed the club, and then left it.
He didn't quit. I have only good memories of Razumeyev. As much as he did for his team, for the players, I have not seen in the first league, not to mention the second. The attitude in "Slavyansky" was humane, the money was paid on time. Medicine, recovery, vitamins, procedures - everything is on the level. No matter what request you turn to Razumeev, he tried to do everything for the players.
- For example?
There were different situations. My wife had to be taken to the hospital for urgent surgery, I called the head of the district and asked for help. He immediately organized everything, people holding high positions in the system of regional medicine called me, they found out what and how, they put my wife in the hospital, they immediately operated on it. Razumeev is a wonderful person.
FC Slavyansky, I know, held training camps in Cyprus, in Turkey. For the club of the second Russian division to hold training camps abroad, you see, an event out of the ordinary.
This once again characterizes Anatoly Razumeev. In his offspring, he did not look for souls. But the point is also that the infrastructure abroad is better than in Russia. You are provided with three meals a day, a buffet, baths at your location, the bus brings you to training and takes you back. The head of the administrators does not hurt at all. And when you come here, to Russia: food must be ordered separately, buses - separately, it's hard to find sparring partners. Everything is separate, you have to pay-pay-pay for everything, and, as a rule, Russian fees come out more expensive than the same Turkish ones.
Let's talk about Eduard Sarkisov, then head coach of Slavyansky. After all, you found him still a player in Kuban, right?
Yes, in the "Kuban" they intersected with him, he was a defensive midfielder. I have always had a good relationship with him. In "Slavyansky", of course, I understood that he was a coach, respected the chain of command. I am grateful to Sarkisov for taking me to his team, believing in me, providing good conditions after Novokubanka. Now I sometimes meet with him and say: “Eduard Rachikovich, here, believe it or not, honestly, but in Slavyansky I played for you and for Razumeev.” Indeed, he went out and played for them. From the first to the last minute he fought for these people so as not to let me down.
You said that salaries were regularly paid in Slavyansky. This is until Razumeev stopped helping the club, as I understand it?
Yes. I want to say that in the last two months at Slavyansky, when salaries were still being paid, I earned more than in a year and a half at Biologist. And then a flood happened in Krymsk, and Razumeev, since he is an excellent manager, Tkachev sent there to eliminate the consequences of the disaster. They made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Razumeev left - and in such situations there are always people who are just waiting for this. Funding ended immediately. "Slavyansky" owed me 250 thousand rubles. They played for nothing for a whole year, just like that. They wrote to the FTC, and to the prosecutor's office, and to the labor inspectorate - they still didn't pay anything.
- How did you leave the team?
My third child was born, I went up to Sarkisov and said: “Rachikovich, this way and that, I need to feed my family. I’ll probably go to Krasnodar, try to play there for the tax office, for Dynamo, or for someone else.” He let me go, I left. And then Sarkisov took the backbone of that team, seven people, with him to the Crimean Vityaz.
- This is where your professional playing career ended, right?
Right. I returned to Krasnodar, got a job as a children's coach in football school"Kuban". I was put on probation for one month. Two weeks passed - the leaders said: that's it, we take you, we see your desire, ability to find an approach to children. Well, at the same time, I was still playing for Kurganin's Omega. Because, you know, families always need extra money.
- Did the management also have a good attitude towards the players in Omega?
Yes, according to this criterion, "Omega" can be compared with "Slavic". The salaries were small, but the bonuses were double, the mood was outrageous. The leaders in Kurganinsk, including Dmitry Karapetyan, did everything to make the team give their best. In that year, 2013, we became the champions of the first league of the Krasnodar Territory.
Can we say that Omega is a phenomenon? A club with a professional approach to business, but playing in the second tier of the amateur championship.
You can, and with good reason. Everything starts from the head. If the leader is decent, well-mannered, then the team will be selected honest and playful. If, however, “from above” the players are not treated seriously, without giving a damn, if there is no mutual respect in the club, then there will be no result. Here Dmitry Karapetyan puts all of himself into the development of Omega. There is a cool stadium in Kurganinsk, a chic field - in my opinion, one of the best in the region. Perfect lawn.
- A couple of "general" questions. What kind interesting stories Do you remember from your playing career?
Yes, there were a lot of incidents, now you don’t remember ... Something unusual happened at the exits. I remember that we gathered at the hotel once for dinner and ... two partners were missing. Where they are, it is not clear - well, let's look. They dug up the entire hotel, raised half the city - it turns out that they were “accidentally” closed somewhere, someone joked.
- Do you keep in touch with many ex-partners now?
Oh sure. Alexander Perov, for example, is the godfather of my eldest son. He is a very close person, like a brother to me. I call up Dmitry Emelyanov, with whom I played in Togliatti. We maintain relations with Yevgeny Kaleshin, just the other day he advised me on books and websites on youth football.
- Have you always had normal relations with your partners during your career?
There are always different relations within the team. All the same, there is always a division according to interests: married people - separately, bachelors - separately. With whom you have developed good, warm relations, with those you could go somewhere after the game, sit. In the first and second divisions, relations were at the proper level, but I did not play in the Premier League. But you must understand what more money, those tend to have fewer friendships.
Recently, now and then they talk about the unstable financial situation in the Kuban. What do you know about it?
To be honest, I don't know what's going on in the main team, they don't report to us. In any case, everything comes from the head. If the leaders need it, then the team has results, and people go to it, and everything is fine. If not, then the consequences are appropriate.
- Now you are the team coach for the guys in 2002. Satisfied with the current state of affairs?
Of course, I want to develop and climb the coaching ladder. It is very interesting for me to work with the boys who are growing up before my eyes, every year it is more and more interesting. But at first, I confess, I did not take the coaching craft so seriously. Then, as I already said, back in Omega I played in parallel, combined: both there, and here, and here. But now I work only with children and get satisfaction from this work.
- They say that it is more difficult to work with children than with adults.
There is such. Nerves are no longer the same. It happens that emotions overflow when you worry about the result, you see an unfair attitude towards your team from the referees. But it's okay. Where is it easy? I think every profession has its negative nuances. It is necessary to leave work at work, at home is another story - family, spouse, children.
- Tell me more about your children, by the way.
I have two sons and a daughter. The eldest - Roman - is 15 years old, his daughter Milan is 11, the youngest son Stefan will soon be 3 years old. Roman is a straight A student, very smart, great at computers. I wanted him to become a footballer, but I may have gone too far, scolding him in training when he didn’t succeed. As a result, he quit football and now plays only for himself when it's warm outside, and recently he began to go to boxing. Milana - it is clear that the athlete. I used to go to gymnastics, now I go to the trampoline. She is so mobile, a daredevil, a "boy in a skirt." I confess that I have a really great desire for my youngest son Stefan to become a football player, and a football player more serious than his dad. Therefore, now, although he is not yet 3 years old, I am already slowly starting to instill in him a love for the ball, for outdoor games. So far, everything is going according to his mood: he has a good one - we play football, bad - we don’t play anything, of course (smiles).
- Back to your work. Now you are a children's coach. What's next?
There is a desire to develop. I understand that it is possible to develop in children's football, but I want to level adult game swing. I already had coaching experience in an adult team: in Omega I not only played, but also was a playing coach. And found a common language with the guys. They understood what was required of them.
- "WITH". On the this moment I am a B-plus student. I have exams in May. If I pass, I will become an elite children's coach. You can't stand still. Whatever you do, you should always move forward. Study literature, know current trends. And don’t think, they say, I know everything what to do, don’t tell me anything, and everything will work out for me.
Draw in favor of Khaimanov
Biologist - Dynamo St - 0:0
"Biologist" (Novokubansk): Golovchanov, Shipulin, Agrba, Reznik (Porkhachev, 83), Rule, Ismailov, Sadirov, Popravkin (Minyaev, 33), Yaroslavtsev (Olifirenko, 46), Kokorev, Rozanov.
Dynamo (Stavropol): Khaimanov, Papulov, Narizhny, Kibizov, Pankov, Barakhoev, Dyshekov (Mikheev, 56, Petrenko, 84), Edunov (Egiazarov, 73), Markosov (Bidov, 76), Kulumbegov, Dzakhmishev.
Warnings: Yaroslavtsev, 13, Sadirov, 16, Barakhoev, 54, Pankov, 55, Bidov, 88.
Judge: A. Komarov (Volgograd).
Village Progress. Biologist Stadium. 1200 spectators.
The starting line-up of the guests was exactly the same as in the home meeting of the previous round with Druzhba, which ended, as you know, with a score of 5:1 in favor of the Stavropol team. However, in the village of Progress, the Dynamo players appeared either too imposing, or tired.
The beginning of the meeting turned out to be lulling. Only in the 13th minute Yaroslavtsev yellow card interrupted the one-on-one with the goalkeeper of "Biologist" Golovchanov Barakhoev. It should be noted that on the eve of the meeting, the head coach of Dynamo Gennady Gridin expressed in the media his concern about the fact that the game will be officiated by the referee from Volgograd Andrey Komarov, and Rotor, as you know, is the main competitor of the Blue-White-Golds for entering the first division. However, his fears were in vain: in the first half hour of the match, the referee recorded 11 violations of the rules by the hosts and showed them two "mustard plasters", while his indignant trill against the Dynamo players was heard for the first time already in the 32nd minute!
The audience saw the first sharp moment at the 20th minute. Midfielder Stavropol Yedunov threw Kulumbegov into the gap. Reznik met the captain of the guests, but he was able to beat him, however, he shot slightly from five meters and directly into Golovchanov.
It took a little more than half an hour for Biologist's mentor Sergei Grigoriev to finally make sure that Popravkin was not ready for the game, and he was replaced by Minyaev. And right there after the canopy Rule on the left head from 12 meters hit Yaroslavtsev, but the ball flew inches from the far post of the Dynamo gate. However, all this was under the control of Khaimanov. At the end of the first half, the "shots" of Yaroslavtsev and Ismailov fell on the defenders of "Dynamo", and then the defender of the guests Kibizov almost cut the ball into his own net.
After the break, the players of "Biolog" became more active. In the very first minute, Yaroslavtsev boldly went for an aggravation, but did not dare to break through immediately, and Kibizov knocked the ball out of him. Strongly kissed from a free-kick Sadirov - high. And in the 61st minute, the same Sadirov rushed along the left flank like a whirlwind and gave the ball a little back to the center of Ismailov. There was an immediate blow, but the ball hit Yaroslavtsev's feet. He instantly broke away from Kibizov, went into the penalty area to the left of Khaimanov and hit the empty net. However, the goal was not counted - apparently, Komarov identified a violation of the rules in the confrontation between Yaroslavtsev and Kibizov.
Seven minutes later, forgotten by the Dynamo defenders, Ismailov at the far post closed the canopy with his head, but hit the goal post from a couple of meters. Immediately, Yaroslavtsev won the single combat against Kibizov and bitingly struck from an average distance - Khaimanov was on the alert.
The advantage of the "Biologist" was undeniable. However, Dynamo are able to quickly counterattack. In the 78th minute, Kulumbegov with an accurate pass brought Dzakhmishev one on one with Golovchanov, but the goalkeeper, jumping out of the gate, repelled a dangerous low shot in the fall. However, this attack of the guests did not bog down. The ball bounced off to Kulumbegov, who beat the goalkeeper on the backswing, but his shot got stuck in the legs of the defenders who secured the goalkeeper. And then the selfless Shipulin and Rozanov did not allow Bidov to push the ball from three meters into the target. Another chance for the Dynamo team fell to Bidov, who at the near post closed a sharp cross from the right flank of Egiazarov, but the ball missed the post by a meter.
In the future, the "biologists" constantly fired at the gates of "Dynamo" from a variety of positions. And if not for Khaimanov's brilliant reaction, the guests would not have seen a draw like their own ears. With an interval of several minutes, the goalkeeper won two micro duels against the overactive Yaroslavtsev, and also repelled Sadirov's aimed shot.
And in the last minute, the hosts almost blundered another counterattack from Stavropol: Dzakhmishev entered the penalty area with the ball, but Shipulin blocked his shot at the last moment.
Oddly enough, this draw led to positive tournament reshuffles for both clubs. And if the Dynamo players rose from the 5th to the 4th place, then for the "Biologist" this point was worth a lot - the Novokuban team shot up from the 12th immediately to the 8th line. And there is every reason to believe that the ascent of Sergei Grigoriev's wards in the table of ranks will continue.
Dynamo head coachGennady Gridin:- In every match we play to win and today we came for three points. And even knowingly thought that we would win. Perhaps this is what let us down. The result is natural. The first half was ours, in the second, on the contrary, the hosts dominated. Today we lacked a little sharpness and freshness. We score a lot at home, but things are not so easy on the road. "Biologist" is a good, solid team, so the main thing is that today we showed character and did not lose to the hosts.
Biolog head coachSergei GRIGORIEV:- We had to win. After all, the game is not done in one half, but in all 90 minutes of the bout. We studied the opponent well, looked at the statistics - who scores and at what moment. And already before the match we knew that in the first 25-30 minutes it would be very difficult for us. Deliberately gave up the territory, cautiously acted from behind. There were problems in the center of the field associated with injuries to the three leading players. Nevertheless, we played this half an hour as planned. In the second half, the game was already developing according to our scenario, but, unfortunately, we failed to score. I'm happy with the team, but not satisfied with the result.
Vadim Khnygin, Novokubansk
Sergei Tarasov: Shipulin looks weaker than last season
Olympic champion Sergei Tarasov summed up the results of the Biathlon World Cup stage, which ended in Holmenkollen.ABOUT SHIPULIN FORM
It can be seen that Anton is now out of shape. He cannot keep the speed, he is not enough to lift - the muscles become acidic. It's hard to keep fit all season. Some experts say that Anton purposefully prepared for the Olympics, and, apparently, the peak of his form fell on the period of the Games. But if we look at Shipulin's performance and his results throughout the season, we will see that he did not have a peak as such. This is my opinion, but I think that this season Anton looks weaker than in the past. On his favorite stage in Anterselva, he always tore everyone to shreds. But now, according to the stage in Anterselva, it was clear that something was wrong with Shipulin this season.
What is the problem here? I'm not on the team, so it's hard to say. It would be better if these were mistakes in preparation, they can be corrected. And if the matter is in physiology, Anton is not getting younger, every year there is a drop in speed, then this is already a problem. Let's hope our leader just has a bad season. This also happens.
ABOUT MEN'S PERFORMANCE
Articles | Did you win bronze? Or lost silver? Results of the last men's relay of the season
For Tsvetkov, the stage in Holmenkollen turned out to be the best of the season. Maxim looks much better than usual. But it is still clear that at the top speeds at the finish line it is a little lacking.
I think that men should perform better. We are not able to compete in speed with the leaders. After each race, we only consider how much we lost in a move. And we are already used to this situation. Therefore, we have all hope for bad weather, good shooting, and that the leaders will make a mistake. But we still remember the times when our biathletes, even having missed at the turn, won the race.
ABOUT THE PROBLEMS OF THE WOMEN'S TEAM
It is more courageous to connect young biathletes to the first team and trust them to perform at the World Cup stages. For example, Kaisheva used to be allowed to speak at one stage, she took 60th place there, and she was sent back. It's good that they took her to Pyeongchang. Experience at the Olympics is equivalent to ten years of performance at the World Cup. Since we were not allowed to bring leaders to Korea, we had to send only young athletes there. Let Kaisheva perform at the Olympics unimportantly, but she gained invaluable experience, which will be very useful to her.
Elena Vyalbe did just that. She included 35 skiers in the preliminary application. When the leaders were not allowed in, the young people went and performed a miracle in Pyeongchang. And the RRF included only 11 people in the application, so there was no room for maneuver.
ABOUT THE NECESSARY STEPS
How to fix the situation in our women's team? We need to more boldly connect young athletes to the first team. Now we have a leader - Katya Yurlova. But we must not rest content with this, we must strive for better results. If we attract young people, they will get stronger in a year or two and the results will appear.
But we have another problem: we are pushing the training of young people too fast. At adolescence, we squeeze everything out of guys and girls, we are proud of what strong juniors we have, and they move into adult sports and cannot show anything. We have been talking about this problem for ten years, but nothing has changed. And at the same time, we are increasingly lagging behind the leaders of the world biathlon. Now it will take a long time to correct the mistakes made by the current leadership of the RRF.
International Olympic Committee nevertheless announced the criteria by which he crossed out the names Russian athletes from the list for participation in the Olympics. To do this, it was necessary to conduct lengthy negotiations not by the Russian side, but by the heads of international federations write letters to Thomas Bach. But the picture did not become clearer.
Here are the 17 IOC criteria with our comments:
Disqualification of the Oswald Commission (now many athletes are challenging them in court, but the decisions will be announced too late - approx. ed.)
Doping violations during a career (athletes with a “doping history” from other countries go to the Olympics, champions in skating Yuskov and Kulizhnikov, a complaint about the lack of equality can only be filed after the Games)
List of "Duchesses" (it was compiled by informant Grigory Rodchenkov)
Scratches and marks on the athlete's doping test tubes (still not proven what they mean)
The increased salt content in the doping samples of the athlete (the IOC considers them circumstantial evidence)
Atypical levels of steroids in an athlete's doping tests (another circumstantial evidence)
DNA inconsistency in the athlete's doping samples (more or less distinct criterion)
Data from the system of the Moscow anti-doping laboratory (it seems to have been stolen by Rodchenkov's subordinates, but it has not yet been proven that the database was not fabricated)
Emails from the McLaren report (Russian stars like Shipulin or Ustyugov are not there)
Information about the bank of “clean” urine (it is said that a bank of clean urine was allegedly created in Russia to replace samples, information about whose samples are there has not been made public, nothing can be verified)
Biological passports of athletes (blood and urine indicators of each athlete are monitored throughout their career, sharp jumps in them are indirect evidence, this is an adequate indicator)
Correspondence of data on the level of steroids RUSADA and WADA
Doping recheck results from the 2014 Games (duplicate a few points above, starting with the Oswald commission).
Athlete whereabouts information provided in ADAMS, which is used to allow out-of-competition doping testing from an athlete. other countries)
The number of doping tests passed (should be a certain number per season, our stars are fine here)
Additional information from international federations (this is something new: what information? Why can't you open your own disciplinary case based on this information?)
Additional information from WADA (here we mean whistleblowers, and in general, whatever you want, you can think of).
It is impossible to understand which of these conditions did not pass An, Shipulin or Ustyugov. Some of these rules were invented by the IOC, and none of them can be disputed. It is impossible to win in a unique quest called "pass the IOC commission".
Olympiastadion (Munich, Germany). Opened in 1972. It seats 69,250 spectators.
The final match of the first UEFA Champions League in the 1992/93 season took place at the Olympiastadion in Munich. Marseille and Milan fought for the trophy. The meeting, which took place on May 23, 1993, ended with the victory of the French team with a score of 1:0.
Second final of the main club tournament The Munich arena hosted Europe in 1997. Borussia Dortmund defeated Juventus 3-1 in that match.
Olympic Stadium (Athens, Greece). Opened in 1982, renovated in 2002-2004. It seats 69,618 spectators.
The Olympic stadium in the capital of Greece can be called happy for Milan. After losing the final of the 1992/93 season, the Italian club again reached the decisive stage of the tournament the following year, where they defeated Barcelona 4-0.
After 13 years, the Rossoneri are back on the field Olympic Stadium Athens as a contender for the trophy, and once again they managed to win, this time over Liverpool - 2:1.
"Ernst Happel Stadion" (Vienna, Austria). Opened in 1931, renovated twice - in 1986 and 2008. It seats 55,665 spectators.
The arena in the capital of Austria hosted the 1994/95 Champions League final, and Milan participated in it for the third time in a row. Like two years earlier, the Italians lost 0-1, but this time to Ajax.
"Stadium Olimpico" (Italy, Rome). Opened in 1937, the last reconstruction was carried out in 1989-1990. It seats 72,698 spectators.
In the 1995/96 season, Ajax came to Rome in the status of the current Champions League winner, but the Dutch club failed to defend their title. Already in the first half of the match with Juventus, the teams exchanged goals, after which they brought the matter to a penalty shootout. “Bianconeri” were more accurate and won the main club trophy in Europe.
The Olympic Stadium in Rome won the right to once again host the 2008/09 Champions League final, but this time the local teams failed to make it to the decisive stage of the tournament. Barcelona won the trophy this year by beating Manchester United 2-0.
"Amsterdam Arena" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands). Opened in 1996. It seats 54,990 spectators.
The stadium, now named after Johan Cruyff, hosted the Champions League final just two years after it opened. In May 1998, Real Madrid and Juventus met at the Amsterdam Arena. The match ended 1-0 in favor of the Madrid club.
Camp Nou (Barcelona, Spain). Opened in 1957, it was reconstructed twice - in 1995 and 2008. It seats 99,354 spectators.
Barcelona's stadium has seen many memorable matches, but the 1998/99 Champions League final stands alone. That meeting between Bayern and Manchester United can be called legendary without exaggeration. The Germans took the lead already in the 6th minute and controlled the course of the game until the last minutes, but two goals scored by the Mancunians in injury time of the second half brought victory to Manchester United.
"Stade de France" (Saint-Denis, France). Opened in 1998. It seats 81,338 spectators.
The arena, built on the outskirts of Paris, became the venue for the Champions League final in the 1999/2000 season for the first time. The meeting between Real Madrid and Valencia ended with a confident victory of the Madrid club with a score of 3:0. This was the first time in the history of the Champions League that clubs from the same country played in the final.
Six years later, in the 2005/06 season, Barcelona and Arsenal competed for the trophy at the Stade de France. The Londoners, who played in the minority from the 18th minute after the removal of goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, opened the scoring 10 minutes before the break, but in the second half goals from Samuel Eto'o and Juliano Belletti brought the victory to the Catalans - 2:1.
"San Siro" (Milan, Italy). Opened in 1926. The last renovation took place in 1989. Accommodates 80,018 spectators.
The San Siro Stadium was renamed in honor of Giuseppe Meazza in 1979, but the historical name of the arena remains the most popular and recognizable all over the world. The Champions League final has been played here twice.
In the 2000/01 season, Bayern and Valencia spent in Milan dramatic match, in which 11-meter kicks played the main role. Already in the 2nd minute, Gaiska Mendieta took the Spaniards ahead from the penalty spot, and after 4 minutes the goalkeeper of the “Bats” Santiago Canizares repelled the 11-meter shot by Mehmet Scholl. At the beginning of the second half, Stefan Effenberg equalized from the penalty spot, and the fate of the match was decided in a series of post-match strikes, in which the Bayern players were more accurate.
15 years later, in May 2016, Real Madrid and Atlético in the same arena almost exactly repeated the scenario of the game between Bayern and Valencia. Regular time also ended with a score of 1:1, in extra time the teams failed to distinguish themselves, and in the penalty shootout the victory was won by the "Royal Club".
Hampden Park (Glasgow, Scotland). Opened in 1903. Refurbished in 1999. It seats 51,866 spectators.
Real Madrid and Bayer 04 entered the Hampden Park field in the Champions League final in May 2002, and 6 months later the arena celebrated its 99th anniversary. The match itself ended with a score of 2:1 in favor of Real Madrid and was remembered for the most beautiful goal of Zinedine Zidane from the penalty line.
Old Trafford (Manchester, England). Opened in 1910. The last renovation was carried out in 2006. It seats 74,879 spectators.
2nd in modern history The Champions League final with the participation of teams representing one country took place in the 2002/2003 season. In the decisive match of the tournament, which took place in Manchester, met "Milan" and "Juventus". The main and additional time ended with the score 0:0, and in the penalty shoot-out, the victory for Milan was brought by Andriy Shevchenko's exact shot.
Veltins Arena (Gelsenkirchen, Germany). Opened in 2001. Last time The capacity of the stadium was increased in 2015, today it is 62,271 people.
The current name of the arena has been since the summer of 2005, previously it was called the Arena AufSchalke. The stadium hosted matches of the world championships in football and hockey. Since 2002, the annual Christmas race of biathlon stars has been held here.
The 2004 Champions League Final, held in Gelsenkirchin, is one of the most memorable for fans from Russia, as one of the goals was scored by Dmitry Alenichev. Midfielder "Porto" set the final score of the match against "Monaco" (3:0). The Portuguese team at that time was led by José Mourinho, who became the youngest head coach in history to win the main club trophy in Europe.
Olympic Stadium (Istanbul, Turkey). Opened in 2002. It seats 80,500 spectators.
The stadium in Istanbul was built for the supposed hosting of the 2008 Summer Olympics, but Turkey's bid did not receive the required number of votes, and the Olympics took place in Beijing. Currently, the arena in Istanbul bears the name of the first president of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and is the largest in the country.
The Istanbul Champions League final in 2005 is arguably the greatest in the history of the tournament. In the decisive match, Milan defeated Liverpool 3-0 after the first half, but in the second half of the meeting, goals from Gerrard, Schmitser and Alonso turned everything upside down. In extra time goals scored was not, and the British club turned out to be stronger in the penalty shootout.
Luzhniki (Moscow, Russia). Opened in 1956. The last renovation was carried out in 2017. It seats 81,000 spectators.
For the first time, Russia received the right to host the 2007/08 Champions League final, and this honorable mission was entrusted to the Luzhniki Grand Sports Arena. Chelsea and Manchester United fought for the trophy, which was the first time that two English teams met in the decisive match of the Champions League.
The game caused great excitement among the fans in both England and Russia, more than 67 thousand spectators were present in the stands. In the middle of the first half, Cristiano Ronaldo put Manchester United ahead, but just before the break, Frank Lampard equalized. The second half and extra time passed without goals scored, and the Mancunians were more accurate in the penalty shootout.
"Santiago Bernabeu" (Madrid, Spain). Opened in 1947. The last reconstruction was carried out in 2001. It seats 81,044 spectators.
The home arena of one of the most successful clubs in modern football hosted the Champions League final only once - in the 2009/10 season, but this is the only match so far made history.
In the Madrid final met "Inter" and "Bayern". The match ended with a score of 2:0 in favor of the Italian club, and José Mourinho, who was working with the Nerazzurri at that moment, became the third coach in history who managed to win the Champions Cup with two different teams (now there are already five of them: in addition to the Portuguese, this Ernst Happel, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Jupp Heynckes and Carlo Ancelotti).
An interesting fact is that in the 2010 final of the Milanese there was only one Italian - Marco Materazzi, and he appeared on the field in the 90th minute of the match.
Wembley (London, England). Opened in 2007. Accommodates 90,000 spectators.
The new Wembley was built on the site of the legendary arena, which hosted matches of the World and European Championships, Olympic Games and many European cup finals.
The final match of the 2010/11 Champions League, which took place at the new Wembley, in a sense turned out to be home for Manchester United, but this did not help the Mancunians to win the trophy. Led by the trio Xavi-Iniesta-Messi, Barcelona won 3-1.
In 2013, Wembley hosted the first "German" Champions League final between Bayern and Borussia Dortmund. The victory and the cup for the Bavarians was brought by an accurate shot by Arjen Robben, who in the 89th minute set the final score - 2:1.
Allianz Arena (Munich, Germany). Opened in 2005. It seats 67,812 spectators.
The decisive match of the Champions League of the 2011/12 season was the first final of the tournament, which was held at the home stadium of one of the participants in the meeting - Bayern hosted Chelsea in Munich. The scoring was opened only in the 83rd minute after a strike by the hosts forward Thomas Muller, but five minutes later the Londoners attack leader Didier Drogba restored the balance.
The fate of the trophy was decided in a penalty shootout. Bayern take the lead again accurate strike Philip Lama and Juan Mata's miss, but then the guests' players realized all their attempts, while the German team's players made two misfires. Thus, Chelsea won the Champions League for the first time in its history.
Millennium (Cardiff, Wales). Opened in 1999. It seats 73,930 spectators.
The home arena of the Wales national team was opened at the turn of the millennium, having received the appropriate name, but in 2016 the stadium received a new name - Principality Stadium, which, with a certain amount of fantasy, can simply be translated as "The Prince's Stadium", since Wales is part of the United Kingdom, and the Queen's son Elizabeth II Charles bears the title of Prince of Wales.
But back to the Champions League. The final of the main European club tournament took place here in 2017, and the participants in that match were Real and Juventus. Madrid won 4-1 to win a second Champions League title in a row, and football fans will remember that meeting with the super goal of Turin striker Mario Mandzukic.
Metropolitano (Madrid, Spain). Opened in 1994. Renovated in 2017. It seats 67,700 spectators.
Liverpool and Tottenham met in the 2019 Champions League final. The final was the first in Tottenham's history, and the first since the 2013 final, where at least one player did not play. spanish club. Liverpool, who reached the final for the second time in a row, won the match 2-0. In his third Champions League final as head coach, Jurgen Klopp won the trophy.